


A Change in Perspective

by Rachel_Lu



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Eventual Relationships, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff and Angst, Getting Together, Getting to Know Each Other, I don't know, Protectiveness, light warnings for mentions of how shitty Jimmy Stone is, maybe eventual smut, probably
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-08
Updated: 2018-03-17
Packaged: 2019-03-15 08:28:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 26,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13609488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rachel_Lu/pseuds/Rachel_Lu
Summary: Rose Tyler is certain that nothing exists outside of her loveless relationship with Jimmy Stone and her empty social life.  One night sitting outside her flat shows her that there might just be so much more.Warnings for mentions of abuse, nothing graphic- mostly manipulation but a bit of psychical as well





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, all! Please heed the warning on my summary, and ask me questions about it if you need to! I still want everyone to be able to enjoy this.
> 
> Also, please keep in mind that John Smith isn't saving Rose, but merely showing her her own strength. This might just get away from me and be a million chapters, so brace yourself!

She did not live a charmed life. It wasn’t even a life of safety.  It was a life that she had to live, because she had chosen to be this way.  She’d made stupid decisions in high school and was stuck.  That was it.  In a loveless relationship with a man who basically treated her like a prostitute.  It was painful, to lay in bed at night next to a man who she knew didn’t love her.  One who laid hands on her in a way that wasn’t loving.  

Jimmy came home one night smelling of drink, which wasn’t terribly uncommon, but she still hated it.  She’d just been preparing to go to bed, and was not at all surprised when he stumbled into the flat, waving a half empty beer bottle. 

“Hello, woman of mine,” he slurred, hungry gaze latching onto her.

“Hello, Jimmy,” Rose replied, looking back to the dishes she was clearing up.  “I trust you had a nice night.”

“Very nice,” he waggled his eyebrows at her, and she didn’t know quite what she meant like that, but her stomach rolled at the implications.  He cheated and she knew it, but he thought he was doing it on the sly.  

“Time for you to get some sleep then, yeah?” she asked tiredly, rubbing her forehead. 

“So soon?” He asked, arching an eyebrow.  He threw the bottle into the sink and it shattered, causing Rose to jump.

“Jimmy, don’t do that, the neighbors will call,” she scolded, trying to keep her voice down.

“Are you up to get a bit frisky, babe?” He asked, bulldozing over her comment as though he hadn’t even heard her.  She cringed. 

“No, Jimmy, I’m not in the mood.”

He strode forward and took her by the arm, his fingers biting into her skin through the dressing gown she wore.  “Aren’t you?  You’ve got this lovely silk thing on, you didn’t wear that for me?”  When she didn’t respond, he shook her. “Then what prat did you wear it for?”  
“It’s my dressing gown, Jimmy, I just wanted to wear it. I’ve got normal pajamas underneath, it’s nothing special, and it’s not for you.  You should go to bed, sleep this off.”

He tried to protest, but thankfully, he was drunk enough that he was starting to grow sleepy and couldn’t insist they shag too much.  She got him into bed with more than a little trouble, and by the time she was done she could barely hold back tears. She wasn’t sure when her life had come to this.  She felt as though one moment she was revelling in attention from the older boy in school, and the next she was moved in with him and he’d hit her for the first time.

But now, of course, she had no where to go.  Her mum probably wouldn’t speak to her, not after the massive row they’d had before she left, and Mickey  _ certainly  _ wouldn’t speak to her.  She blew out her cheeks, staring at the slumbering log in her bed.  He would be out until at least noon, she thought, relieved that she would be up and gone to work before he even woke up.  

Feeling drained and saddened, she escaped the flat to sit outside on the floor, wrapped up in her dressing gown.  A man was coming home to the flat next to her, a man she’d never seen before.  He didn’t look drunk, like Jimmy did, just like he was coming home from work. 

“Hello,” he said, offering her a friendly smile. “It’s a lovely evening.”

Rose smiled back, though it didn’t feel as real as his looked. “Yeah, it is.”

His brow furrowed. “Are you alright?”  
She nodded. “Yeah, m’okay.”

“You could come inside, have a cuppa if you want.”

Rose wanted to, just to forget for a moment that she was the girlfriend of such a horrible man.  She shuffled her feet on the concrete.  “My boyfriend wouldn’t like that very much,” she said softly, feeling embarrassed.  “He’d… Shout, for certain.”

“How would he- not that I would do anything to you, of course, but how would he know?”

“Says he can tell when I’ve been around another guy, that I reek of ‘em,” She smiled. “Even though I’m not the one who’s been unfaithful.”  She wasn’t sure why she was telling this man so much, but he seemed very easy to talk to, and she didn’t think she’d ever seen a kinder face.  

He squatted down next to her. “Possessive.  Yeah, I suppose I get it.  Not that I’ve ever been, I had a girlfriend once, she-” He cut himself off, “Look, how about I bring the cuppa out to you? That way you’ve not been in my flat, or anything untoward.”

She shouldn’t have trusted him.  Normally she wouldn’t have, and she wouldn’t have even spoken to him because she knew Jimmy would be furious with her if he knew.  But he looked so kind and she was so mentally exhausted.  She nodded.  “Thanks.  “That would be lovely.”

“Sure thing,” he smiled again and got to his feet, letting himself into his apartment.

Rose wasn’t sure what to do to stop the emptiness inside her, but something warmed within her with hope when she realized that this random man had a streak of kindness in him to help her, to make her feel good.  Rose pulled her knees up to her chest, not wanting to go inside ever again.  

She wasn’t even sure how long she waited until he came back outside with two steaming mugs and a blanket draped over his shoulder..  

“Here, you can sit on this, that concrete must be cold.”  He put down the tea and adjusted the blankets under them so it was rather picnic-y.  He handed her the tea. “I guessed,” he said, “Cream and sugar?”

She nodded, smiling a little. “Yeah,” She said, taking a sip.  It was perfect.  “Thank you-?”

“John,” he extended a hand to her.  She flinched and pretended she hadn’t.  “John Smith.”  he finished, though he looked a little worried. 

“Rose Tyler,” She said, slowly shaking his hand.  “Thanks again, for the tea.”

“Well, I couldn’t very well leave you out here on your own,” he said softly, sitting with one leg up, his elbow on his knee. “Wouldn’t be very gentlemanly, my mother would’ve had my head for it.  She always said a man was no good when he didn’t help people.  Nothing unmanly about being kind.”

She giggled and took a sip of her tea.  “There should be more men in the world like you, John Smith,” she said with a note of wonder in her voice. He smiled a little, taking a long drink of his tea.  

“Pardon me for asking, Rose, but are you alright?  Are you safe?”  His eyebrows pulled together in worry. “I’ve just never seen a woman sitting on the floor outside her flat.  It’s… Cause for alarm.”

She nodded, but lifted her shoulder in a shrug at the same time. “I suppose,” she said softly.  “Just… nothing very fun about a loveless relationship, you know?”

He hummed, but didn’t say anything else.  She turned to look at him, surprised. 

“What, you’re not going to beg me to tell you what I mean by that?” She asked, unable to contain her surprise at that.

He shook his head.  “Not my business. I asked because I was worried for your safety.  Aside from that, I’m not going to pry.”

The more she talked to this man, the more she liked him.  He wasn’t judgemental, like her friends and her mum, and somehow, that made her want to talk to him even more.  She scooted a little closer to him and whispered, “Since you’re not prying, can I tell you anyway?”  
He looked down at her and nodded.  “Of course, if you’d like to.  I suppose sometimes it’s easier to talk to a stranger, isn’t it?”

She agreed. “Sometimes.”  She took a deep breath.  “I’m with Jimmy-” she jerked her thumb towards the door, “Stole a load of my money to start his ‘singing career’...  If I leave him, I have nothing.”

John raised his eyebrows. “Is he blackmailing you?”

“No, no, it was my own fault, for letting him take it, for believing that he might be worth it.  I was sixteen when I got together with him, dropped school… Don’t talk to my mum anymore.  It’s just… I just ruined everything.” She scuffed her toe against the blanket.  “Sorry.  You didn't’ want this.”

He was careful not to touch her, she could see that, but he shifted around a bit so he could see her face better.  “I don’t mind.  I would offer you my extra bedroom, but I would be… A bit afraid, honestly.”

“Of Jimmy.”

“Well, yes.” 

She laughed.  “Well, if you didn’t live on this block, I might just take you up on it.  Can’t really afford to move into a place by myself, and all the mates I have left have live in boyfriends or babies.”

He offered her a sympathetic smile.  “It’s open to you, if you want it.  You can even background check me to make sure I’m not a psychopath.”

She let out a rich laugh that felt more real than anything had in the past few months. “If you were a psychopath, wouldn’t you have just killed me when you saw me sitting outside my flat?”

“Ah! Good point.” He laughed a little, blushing. “Well, still, the point still stands.”

“Thank you,” She whispered. “I wish I could take you up on it.”

“Well!” He cocked his head to the side. “I won’t be renting it out to anyone else, people don’t like me very much, so even if you wait a year I’ll still have it open for you.  All you have to do is ask.”

“Thank you,” she said earnestly, knowing that she would never take him up on it.  It was scary, the thought of leaving Jimmy.  Not because there was any lasting affection for him, because there wasn’t, but because she was afraid if she left him and moved  _ next door,  _ he would come after her, beat the living shit out of her, and most likely try to kill John Smith in his possessive rage.  

John let out a sigh and tilted his head so he was looking her in the face.  “You won’t do it, I know.  But if you ever feel like you need to… I dunno, escape, even for an afternoon, my door is always open.”

She smiled into her tea.  “You sound like a women’s shelter.”

“Well, not all women, of course, I just have the one bedroom,” he smiled.  “Would that I could, though,” he said wistfully, and she thought he sounded like a superhero, the kind of man who wanted to save everyone.  She smiled a little at the thought.

“Hey, just… I don’t want to talk about me anymore.  Could you- what do you do?”

“I’m a doctor.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I’m a professor at the university.  Doctorate in physics, not medicine. Though I’d like to study medicine.  Can never help too many people, eh?”  He grinned.

She nodded, finding his optimism refreshing and, if she was honest, a bit attractive.  “That’s lovely.  Oh, it’s a school night, you should probably-”

“My earliest class is at noon,” he said, his voice soothing.  “Really, it’s alright.  I wouldn’t be here with you if I didn’t want to.”  He lifted a shoulder. “We could be friends, if you like,” he sounded incredibly bashful when he said it, and she smiled widely.  

“I’d like that,” she said, “To be friends with you.  It’s been a long time since I’ve had a friend.”

He frowned a little, looking a little sad at that.  “I’m very sorry to hear that. You seem positively charming.”

She blushed. “Well, thank you.”

“Sorry, your boyfriend wouldn’t like that.”

“Doesn’t matter what he likes,” She said, meeting his eyes, completely determined.  “He doesn’t even really like me.”

He smiled sadly. “I’m sure that’s not true.”

She sighed deeply, looking away from him, not wanting the pity of this wonderful man. “Well, I know it is, but it’s no matter, really.  At least he doesn’t do it in our bed.”

John made a disgusted sound and when she looked at him, he was glaring at the door to her flat, looking utterly repulsed.  “Disgusting,” he spat, “Absolutely disgusting.”

She grinned. “Thanks.”

“Anytime,” he said, continuing to scowl at the door.  

She giggled a little, leaning back against the door and draining her tea.  “Thank you for sitting with me,” She said softly, “And for the tea.”

“Anytime, Rose,” he said softly.  “And I really do mean anytime.  I do. If you wanna go out for a cuppa anytime, I’m usually free.”

“Jimmy-”

“If we were to meet, in a big cafe, with loads of people, over a cuppa, he’d have no reason to assume you were doing something bad,” John said, “And if he does, you can have him come to me, and I’ll mess him up.”

She giggled.  “You might be too skinny to beat him up.”

“I would still try,” he said, smiling a little.  Rose handed him her cup and he took it.  “Well, it was a pleasure to meet you, Miss Tyler.  Give me a ring if you ever want a cuppa.”

“You didn’t give me your number.”

“Blimey!  I didn’t.  Erm, would it be alright if I did?  Just as friends, you understand.”

“Of course,” she said, but she didn’t show him that she saved his name as “Jen” instead of John, just in case Jimmy went through her phone again. 

“Goodnight,” he said softly, getting to his feet.  She got up as well, folding up his blanket and handing it to him.

“Thank you,” she said, as he was turning back to his door.  “I mean it.  Thank you.”

“Anytime,” he said earnestly.

They bid each other goodnight, and it gave Rose a bit of strength to sleep on the couch instead of in the bed with Jimmy.  She was of the couch and out the door before he could even notice she hadn’t slept in the bed with him.


	2. Chapter 2

Rose didn’t speak to John for the next few days, only because she was nervous to.  She was nervous because she was attracted to him, and though Jimmy cheated on her all the time, it still felt wrong.  She was much nicer than Jimmy, she had to admit to herself, and though he would never acknowledge what a good girlfriend she was, she could at least be proud of it.

She thought of John often, but realized he was being dreadfully respectful of her by not texting or calling her first.  Rose smiled a little at the thought as she puttered around work.  She was having an oddly good day, as Jimmy hadn’t been home in a day or two.  She didn’t know where he was and she didn’t care. She knew he was alive since she’d found his tea mug in the sink that morning. So he’d been home for a moment, just hadn’t thought to say hello to her.  And why would he?

“Hey, you can go home early if you’d like,” Martha, the store manager who was also going for her doctorate, said to Rose. “We’re not busy at all.”

Rose shifted uncomfortably, focusing on the shirts she was folding. “We need to…  I need the money,” she said softly.

“That’s fine,” Martha smiled. “I just wanted to offer.  Hey, a bunch of us are going down to the pub after work, do you wanna come?” 

Rose looked up at Martha, surprised.  “You want me there?”  
“Sure!  I know you’re new, but you’re dead funny, we love talking to you.”  She beamed. “Please say you’ll come?”

Rose considered for a moment, flipping through what Jimmy would say, and then decided that for once, for  _ once  _ she was going to do what she wanted.  And she wanted to go to the pub, and make friends, and not spend every evening in front of the telly with a home cooked meal in front her.  She always cooked for two and she just ended up just eating Jimmy’s meal as leftovers. How terrible, she mused.  

“I’d love to,” she said, grinning.  “At six?”

“Right in one,” Martha smiled happily, “Oh!  You have a customer, I’ll leave you to it.  Hello, Professor Smith!”  Martha waved and left Rose there with a smile on her face and she turned around to see John walking up to her, grinning from ear to ear.

“I didn’t know you worked here!” He said cheerfully.  

“You know Martha?”

“Yes, she’s one of my students.  Absolutely brilliant.”  He arched a brow at her.  “But, again, I didn’t know you worked here.”

“I didn’t say,” She gestured around, “Henrik’s, not exactly glamorous, is it?”

He shrugged. “Oh, I dunno, I can only afford to shop year bout once or twice a year, and my sister’s wedding is coming up, so I should probably get a new suit.”

“Lovely!  I suppose I should go up and find a personal shopper for you, there will be one upstairs-”

“Well, wait, could you help me?” he asked.  “I’d rather it be somebody I know helping me, you know?”

“I can ask if that’s alright, I suppose,” Rose said, “I don’t know if I’ll be allowed, you know, this isn’t even my floor.”

“So you can ask?”

She blushed at his hopeful expression.  “Yeah, let me just go ask,” she hurried over to Martha and asked, a little shyly, and Martha grinned.

“Ooh, he’s into you, isn’t he?” She waggled her eyebrows and Rose blushed even further.  

“We’re neighbors,” Rose replied, smiling a little. 

“Ah, and he likes you,” Martha nodded.  “Invite him out to the pub with us, it’ll be a laugh.”

“Oh, I don’t know if-”

“Come on,” Martha smiled, “It’ll be fun, I promise.”

Rose rolled her eyes, “So can I help the poor man pick out a suit or not?”

“Oh, sure! Be my guest,” Martha winked and went back to the office. Rose laughed a little, feeling butterflies in her stomach.  

She walked back to John, trying to keep her cool.  “Martha says it’s okay,” She said, “So come with me.”

After explaining to the completely miffed personal shopper on the second floor what was happening, Rose led John to the section with suits and tuxedos, all hung up pristinely. Rose felt a bit too dirty to touch them, but she knew she had to at least act like she belonged here.  She took John’s measurements and started picking out suits and ties she knew would be becoming on him.  

“How have you been?” John asked, and though he tried to hide it, Rose could see the concern written all over his face.

“I’m fine,” she said, offering him a tight smile.  “Really, fine.”

“I just… I hadn’t heard from you, but I didn’t want to pry.. “ he trailed off, looking both parts hopeless and awkward, so Rose just laughed.

She shook her head.  “I didn’t want to get in any trouble, you know?  S’not that I didn’t want to talk to you, please don’t think that.  It’s just-”

“Your boyfriend,” he nodded.  “I understand.”

“Let’s… Let’s not talk about him, thought,” she said, offering him another slightly awkward smile.  “I’m here to make sure you don’t look like a knob at your sister’s wedding.”

He laughed.  “I rather think that I’ll look dashing in comparison to Donna’s friends.”

The two of them ended up having far too much fun, as John did a bit of a fashion show for Rose, presenting every suit to her with dramatic facial expressions. He looked right fit in all of them, she had to admit, and he was terribly charming.  She could tell it wasn’t fake, that he was genuinely kind and enjoyable to be around, and Rose was becoming more and more interested in him as the days passed, which was wrong, because she was attached, not emotionally, though.  But still.

“I like that one,” she said when he showed her the brown pinstriped suit she’d picked out for him.

He looked down at it.  “Me too.  It’s a bit unique, isn’t it?”  he turned in the mirror and Rose wrinkled her nose.

“Not the white shirt, thought.”

“What? Why not?” he smoothed his hand down the front of the button down he was currently wearing.  “I think it’s sharp.”

She laughed, nodding.  “Well, it is, it just doesn’t match.  You should wear blue with it, to match the stripes.”

He looked into the mirror and his mouth dropped open.  “You’re right,” he said softly, and laughed a little.  “See, you should be a personal shopper all the time.”

She grimaced. “No, ta, I don’t think I could ever deal with all of those stuffy blokes and ladies all day.  Would just make me feel worse about myself.”

He turned back to her and frowned.  “You shouldn’t feel bad about yourself.  You’re brilliant.”  
He sounded like he was in awe of it, and Rose felt her cheeks color.  She looked away from him but still felt his eyes on her.  “Thanks,” she said softly.  She gathered up her courage and looked him in the face again.  “Martha and a bunch of us from work are going out to the pub in a little while.  You could come if you wanted.”  She scuffed her toe on the floor, waiting for him to respond.  

“Are you sure I wouldn’t be intruding?”

Rose nodded. “Yeah, I’m sure.”

He smiled and nodded, looking like he might explode with glee, and Rose had a feeling he didn't’ get invited many places.  “Then yes, I would love to come.”

He waited outside  after she was off the clock, as he’d offered to drive her since she didn’t have a car.  She’d been hesitant to accept, but then finally nodded and he opened the door to the passenger seat of his car for her. She blinked and looked at him.  She’d never had a man open a car door for her. 

“Did I do something wrong?” He asked, looking down at the door and then back at her.  

“No!”  She shook her head.  “No, of course not, just… I’ve never… Nevermind,” She got into the car and he shut it gently behind her before running around to his side of the car and sliding in next to her.  

“Which pub?” he asked, pulling out his phone to type the address in.  Rose took the phone and typed in the name of the pub before putting the phone up on the stand he had. 

“Have you ever been there?” She asked.

“Erm, no,” John laughed, “This is a bit embarrassing, but I don’t like to go out much.”

“Why is that embarrassing?” Rose asked, resting her elbow on the center console of his car.  She watched him, grinning a little when his cheeks colored.

“I’m terribly awkward,” he told her, laughing a little, “And I’d much prefer to read or what telly in my flat.  Nothing can beat that to me.”

Rose wondered if there were more men like him.  “Really?”  
“Uh, well, yes.”

“I don’t think that’s embarrassing at all,” She said softly, wanting to tell him exactly why she thought that.  How she wished to be with someone who didn’t go out and party every single night, who wouldn’t mind a night in every once in awhile.  Someone who would cuddle her on the couch instead of complaining about how she was too needy and clingy.  

She was struck by the urge to reach over and hold John’s hand.  She repressed it, leaning back into her seat.  “I really think that’s lovely.”

He looked at her briefly.  “I’ve never heard a woman say that,” he admitted.  “They all want to go out and party,” he said it with his nose scrunched up, as though that was the worst possible thing that he could think of.  

She giggled, unable to resist it.  “That’s- Oh, not me, no.  Jimmy, he’s- always out, always… Well, I always know he’s not alone.”

John grimaced. “I’m sorry,” he said.  “That is truly despicable.” He peered over at her.  “You know, that room in my flat is open.”

“Thank you,” She said, allowing herself to force a smile to him.  She wanted to accept, wanted to get away from Jimmy, but she knew she wouldn’t really be able to pay him rent, and she didn’t want to be in the debt of another man, even though it would be a completely different kind of debt.  A better kind, because she would have a better place to sleep, where she wouldn’t have to live in fear of coming home ‘smelling wrong’ or any of the other stupid reasons that Jimmy often got upset with her.  She sighed.  “I wish I could,” She said softly, finally being a bit honest with herself. 

John caught onto this, and she practically saw his ears perk up.  “Rose, if you're in trouble, you should call the police.  If he’s making you stay there, making you feel trapped-”

“John,” She said it firmly, and his jaw snapped shut.  Rose rubbed her forehead with her thumb and forefinger.  “We haven’t know each other for that long, you can’t just try to protect me.”

“I suppose not,” he said, glancing over at her.  “But I can try.”

They were pulling up to the lot of the pub when Rose saw the one person she didn’t want to see.  She slid down in her seat and turned her head away, and John caught on instantly.

“That him?” he asked coldly.

“Yeah,” Rose replied, her voice shaking.

“Not even a little bit fit,” John sniffed, “And the girl he’s with is very ugly, in case you were wondering.”

This time the smile was real, and she had to acknowledge that John did have a certain knack for making her laugh.  It was… Nice, to laugh and actually mean it.  Even if she’d just seen her boyfriend cheating on her for the thousandth time.

“Maybe I should just take you home, so you don’t get in trouble,” John suggested nervously as he pulled into the farthest part of the lot.

Rose shook her head.  “I’ll just call Martha and tell her and the others to walk in with us, so it doesn’t look like we’re alone.”  She blinked back tears, suprised at how suddenly they seemed to come within the past few months.  She’d cried  _ loads  _ and she still couldn’t stop it.  “I’m tired of not having friends, of being alone  _ all  _ the time.  I got invited somewhere.  I’m going.”

John didn’t protest, but his brow was drawn together in concern.  He nodded slowly, and watched as Rose called Martha, who apparently agreed, judging by the relieved look on Rose’s face.  They waited for Martha’s car to get there and played cards in the car.  Rose teased him about having cards in the car, but he said she shouldn’t protest his cards when she was using them to whoop his arse at Rummy. 

Rose thought it would be a happy night.  And it almost was.  


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The cliffhanger queen is back! (Sorry)
> 
>  
> 
> ((SORRY))

They all walked in together.  Rose, Martha, John, and a couple of the others from Henrik’s picked a table in the corner since they saw how uncomfortable Rose looked.  No one asked, but a couple of them knew about Jimmy, since it was hard for people to not have mutual friends in this part of London.  John knew, of course, and insisted Rose sit in the darkest corner of their booth, and he sat next to her.  Everyone else slid in, chattering and Martha flagged someone down to order a round of beers (except for John, who only got club soda since he was driving).

Rose started to feel a little better when she saw that she couldn’t see Jimmy anymore.  She had no idea where he was, but at this stage in their tattered relationship, she couldn’t even be bothered to care.  He was going to cheat, and was probably currently cheating.  Rose blew out her cheeks and tried to ignore it.  

“Are you alright?” John asked, and it struck Rose as odd, how in tune he seemed to be to her emotions.  

She looked up into his worried eyes. “I’m fine,” she said softly, “Just a little shaken up, that’s all.”

“If it’s too much I can take you home at any time,” he said earnestly, “Even if I look like I'm having fun.”

“What do you mean, if you  _ look  _ like you’re having fun?”

“I’m very good at pretending,” he teased, “I’ve told you, I don’t leave the house much.”

“Me neither,” She admitted.  She wished, not for the first time, that she could get to know him better, but it wouldn’t be appropriate, and she knew that.  She felt a pull to this man, maybe because he was so gentle and kind, maybe because she needed someone who wasn’t so aggressive.  

She  _ knew  _ she needed someone who wasn’t so aggressive.

After a couple of rounds of drinks, Rose stopped drinking alcohol, because she hated being drunk, after seeing what it did to Jimmy, so she switched to soda.  The chatter was lively and plenty of fun, and Rose couldn’t remember the last time she laughed so much.

John didn’t talk much, but he was fully engaged in the conversation, and the little asides he offered were funny and well thought out, and it was easy to see that he was an intellectual.  Rose had to hold herself back multiple times from leaning her head onto his shoulder. 

She shook herself.  She was acting like a pathetic schoolgirl with a crush, and that just wouldn’t do.  She was a grown woman, and she didn’t-  _ couldn’t  _ \- take part in those sorts of activities.  She wasn’t a seventeen year old with the same foolish dreams she’d had back then.  And she wasn’t sure she would want to be.  

All in all, though, it was a good time, and Rose found that Martha and the other girls they were with were so much fun to talk to, and within three hours she had all of their phone numbers with a promise that she would come out more often.  

It was then that she saw Jimmy. Drunk, with a woman on his arm, coming over to their table. Rose’s face went sheet white and she felt John stiffen next to her.  He was ready to protect her, even after such a short time of knowing her.  

“Oh,  _ Rose,”  _ Jimmy was already slurring.  “Did you come out to embarrass me tonight?”

Rose frowned.  “Jimmy, you’re embarrassing me right now.  That didn’t seem to occur to you.”  She was suddenly glad she was in the middle of her friends and John, she wasn't sure she would’ve been able to say anything otherwise. 

“There’s a man here with you,” Jimmy said, snarling at John.  Or, well, it was  _ sort of  _ at John, as Jimmy’s eyes were glassy and unfocused.

Rose knew that this was only the calm before the storm.  The very scary calm before the storm.  He’d get sloshed and come home angry.  She wasn’t sure she was ready for that. S he felt dread settle into her stomach.  She should’ve just gone home after work, let John take her back.  She clenched her fists on her legs. 

“Oi, mate, she’s not here with just him,” Martha said, getting to her feet and putting her hands on her hips.  “This man is all of our friend, he knows  _ all of us.  _ So before you get to talking about cheating, you should look at the bint on your arm!”

The woman Jimmy was with started sputtering.  “He’s helping me, I’m a model!  He said he could get me a job.”

Rose put her head in her hands, knowing this wasn’t the first time something like this had happened.  She knew people had to be staring, and some of them were probably her neighbors.  Everyone would see this, and know she was weak because she just  _ let  _ Jimmy cheat on her.  

“I think you should leave,” John said calmly, seeing Martha and the other girls start to get heated, wanting to protect their new friend.  “You’re ruining Rose’s honor, being here.”

Jimmy shook the girl, the ‘model’ off of his arm, and stepped forward towards the table, slamming his hands on the top of it.  Rose jolted violently at the movement. “That _slag_ never had any honor.  She lives with me because she couldn’t get anyone to take her seriously and she was too stupid to take her A-levels.”  
“That’s enough,” John said quietly, but his voice was dangerous, and anyone who had been talking or listening to the conversation froze at the barely restrained anger in his tone.  John leaned his elbows on the table, leveling his gaze at Jimmy.  “You should leave.  Or, if you like, we could have a bit of a fight outside. I don’t _like_ fighting, but I also don’t like what you’re saying about Rose.  And I haven’t been drinking, so the odds are extremely in my favor.   What do you say?”

Jimmy seemed confused, and he opened and closed his mouth a couple of times before growling in frustration and pounding his fists on the table. Rose jolted again, unable to look at Jimmy.  “What are you, her bloody knight in shining armor?” He snarled, “You think she needs saving?  Well she doesn’t, I’m her  _ boyfriend!” _

“Alright, mate, that’s quite enough,” one of the girls at the table stood up.  “I’ll be fetching the bartender to escort you out.  Obviously you’ve had too much to drink.”

Jimmy almost lunged for the girl but seemed to think better of it.  “No matter, I was going home anyway.”  he leaned across the table towards Rose, trying to get her to look at him, but Martha and the others started shouting and pulling on him, getting him away from her.  John simply put his arm in front of Rose, effectively blocking her, his other hand out in front of him.  

Rose’s cheeks were burning with shame as two of the workers at the pub dragged Jimmy from the building.  The ‘model’ who’d been with him seemed to realize she wasn’t in a good spot with him and should probably pretend she didn’t know him. She went to sit alone at the bar.

“God, Rose, if you ever need a place to stay, you’re more than welcome to stay with me,” Martha said, reaching over and squeezing her hand.  Rose smiled a little timidly and nodded.  

“Thanks, Martha.”

“Any of us!”  One of the other girls piped up.  “You’ve got all our numbers now.”

Rose thanked them, feeling a bit better.  She felt safe, since they had defended her, she had to admit, and it had never been like that before. She’d never before had people to protect her, and it felt lovely.  She liked to pretend she didn't need protection but she was starting to think that she did.  Fear settled in her bones at what awaited her when she got home.

She stayed at the pub for a little longer, because she didn’t want Jimmy to ruin her fun, but at some point it was late and she needed to go. She tapped John on the shoulder and she immediately had his whole attention.

“Are you alright?” he asked quietly.

“Just ready to go home, if that’s okay.  If you’re not ready to go, we can stay.”

John looked a little timid and smiled shyly, “I’ve been ready to leave for about an hour.  I don’t mind.”

“John, you should’ve told me!  We could’ve left then!”

He shrugged. “You were having fun, and you looked so happy.  I didn’t want to ruin it for you.  Besides, I don’t mind.  We can go now.”

They bid everyone goodbye, and all the girls looked at their phones and gasped at the time. 

“We should get going too!” Martha said, “I have to work in the morning.”

They cleared out of the pub and John offered his arm to Rose as they walked to his car. She accepted, and they walked in silence, Rose’s eyes darting about just in case Jimmy was lying in wait and he hadn’t gone home.

He opened her car door for her and she thanked him quietly before getting in.  He shut the door softly behind her and got in on the driver’s side.

“I’m sorry he was there,” John said, gripping the steering wheel.  “I’m sorry I wasn’t more forceful with him.” 

She shook her head. “It’s my own fault. I should’ve left the second I saw that he was there.  I knew he’d say something, and I knew he’d be like that.  I shouldn’t have gone through with it.”

He started up the car and pulled out of the lot. “There’s no reason for you to be upset with yourself, Rose, he did it to himself.  He was incredibly disrespectful to you.”

Rose snorted. “He always is.”

John was silent for a few moments, but then said softly, “Rose, this may be me overstepping my bounds, and please, _please_ tell me if it is, but… Will you be safe, in your own home tonight?”  
She lifted a shoulder, knowing that he wouldn't see it, and also knowing that she shouldn’t tell him at all. But for some reason, she trusted him. She could tell he was genuine, that the smiles he offered were real, and that he worried about her because he cared about her.  And beyond that, he didn't’ seem to have any ulterior motives for talking to her.  He was… Nice. It had been a long time since she’d met a nice man.

“I don’t know,” she said in response to his question. “He might hit me tonight.”

John pumped the brakes in his surprise.  “What?? Rose, no, you can’t- no, you shouldn’t stay there!”

“Don’t have a choice.”

“Rose, please take my guest room,” he said, and there was a hint of panic in his voice.  “Please, Rose, if something happened to you I don’t know what I’d do.”

She wanted to, but the consequences would be far worse if she _did_ stay with him. She wasn’t sure he’d be able to understand that, though.  Reaching across the car, she laid a gentle hand on his forearm. “Thank you,” She said, “But it won’t be- he’ll be angry.  He’ll know I stayed with you.  Walk me inside, though?”  
He nodded, realizing there was nothing he could do to convince her, not pushing her any further.  “Alright,” he whispered, though she could practically feel his uncertainty.

When they got back home she knocked lightly on the door. When no answer came, she opened up her door and John followed close behind.  No lights were on in the flat, so Rose flicked a few on.  “Jimmy?” She called out, tossing her keys in the bowl by the door.  She walked down the short hallway to peer into the bathroom and bedroom.  He wasn’t home. 

“False alarm, he didn’t even come home.” Rose smiled at him, “Well, not yet anyway, but he’ll probably be so drunk by the time he gets here that he might not be able to get in the door.”  She giggled a little to herself at the thought.  

“Okay,’ John said slowly, studying her face.  “If you’re sure, I’ll… I’ll go, but Rose, please call me if you need me.”

His hands flexed, like he wanted to take her hand but refrained.  She wasn’t sure if she appreciated him not presuming, or if she wished he would presume. She chewed her bottom lip and nodded.  “Goodnight, John.  And thank you,”  She smiled.  “Really.  Thank you.”  
“Anytime, Rose,” he replied, and she could tell he was serious.  

He went home, unease in his heart, and graded papers all night. 

All night until, of course, he heard Rose Tyler scream in pain.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for abuse on this chapter.
> 
> Sorry (not sorry) about the cliffie on last chap!!! Luckily, I'm not making a streak out of it, so there isn't one here.
> 
> Enjoy!

John was out of his chair like a shot, out of his flat and in front of Rose’s and Jimmy’s within seconds, trying to kick the door open.  It wouldn’t budge and John cursed, going back to his room to get his credit card to pick the lock with.  He picked it the second he got back there, his hands frantic and shaking.

“Shut  _ up!”  _ John heard Jimmy slur from inside, heard the unmistakable sound of  someone being hit, and his stomach dropped.  How could he be doing this to her, how could  _ any man  _ touch a woman like that?  

He popped the lock and threw the door open, seeing Rose on the floor with Jimmy straddling her, repeatedly punching her in the face and holding her down with his body so she couldn’t fight back. Jimmy turned to look at John, his hand over Rose’s neck and the other hand in a fist above her.  Rose whimpered, her face contorting in pain.

“John.” She looked embarrassed, and the idea that she could feel  _ embarrassed  _ about something like this made his stomach roll. How long had this man manipulated her into making her think this was her fault?

“What, Rose, this you manwhore from the pub?  Were you gonna bring him back here and shag him in our bed?”

Rose’s swollen eyes teared up, and she tried twisting underneath Jimmy’s grasp, but it didn’t work.

The view threw John into a violent rage, seeing Rose vulnerable and helpless.  He ran into their apartment and pushed Jimmy off of Rose, tackling the other man to the ground.  Since Jimmy was drunk, it didn’t seem to be like he was strong, and Rose rolled over and coughed blood onto the floor the moment she was free.  

Before John could think of it, he punched Jimmy in the nose, and the other man’s head hit the floor, knocking him out.  

“Rose, are you alright?” John asked, crawling to her.

She was shaking and sobbing, but she nodded. “I’m here.  I’m-” She started crying but didn’t make any sound, curling in on herself.

She wasn’t bruising yet, but she would; he could tell by the swelling.  One of her eyes was almost swollen shut, and blood matted her hair and stuck her clothes to her skin.  John wanted nothing more than to gather her into his arms and hold her forever, but that was not appropriate. He laid a hand on her shoulder and called the police, staying with her.  

      “And please send an ambulance,” John begged after giving them the address.  He kept one eye on Jimmy, making sure he wasn’t about to wake up. John found himself hoping he’d hurt the man enough to make him feel even a fraction of the pain he made Rose feel. 

        Rose wasn’t moving at all, just laying on her side, staring out in front of her. 

       “Rose?” John whispered. “Are you…”

       “I’m not in shock,” she said softly, her voice oddly monotone for what had happened to her. “How did you get here so fast?”

       “It looks like I was still too late,” John said softly, keeping his hand on her shoulder but not wanting to scare her by moving it. “I didn’t go to sleep tonight, had a feeling you might need me.”

        She smiled slightly and her eyes started drifting shut. “My hero.”

         “No, Rose, you can’t go to sleep yet, not until we’re at the hospital, do you understand?” His voice was gentle but slightly panicked. 

        Rose opened her eyes again, though it was clearly a huge effort for her to do so. She let John talk to her as they waited, and he kept an eye on Jimmy, who looked like he wouldn’t wake up soon, mostly because he’d already been so drunk when John had hit him. It was enough to leave him out for a couple of hours at least unless someone roused him, which, John thought bitterly, the police could do. 

      When sirens flared and lights blasted through the windows, Rose reached for John’s hand and he let her take it, marveling at her grip. It was fear, he realized. Fear that this wasn’t over yet. He sighed and held her hand to his chest as she rolled onto her back. 

      “They’re gonna want me to talk about it,” she said fearfully. 

      “You don’t have to tell it all tonight,” John insisted. “But by bit, whatever you want.”

     She didn’t even have the strength to nod. 

     The police burst in and asked John what happened, weapons pulled but not in use. One of them spotted Jimmy and moved towards him. John finally felt safe to take his eyes off the man. 

     “He attacked her. I live in the flat over, and she was screaming. I came over as soon as I heard her.”

    Rose heard his voice but didn’t hear any of the words he spoke.  They seemed like garble, pushing into the muck of her brain until they processed into sort-of words. One of the police squatted down in front of her and she looked over at him, realizing he’d addressed her and she missed it. 

    “Wha-?”

    “Can you tell me your name?” The officer asked slowly. 

    For some reason, Rose was having trouble piecing her thoughts together. She opened her mouth and said slowly, “Rose Tyler.”

   “Alright, Miss Tyler, we’ve got an ambulance out front. I can carry you or your friend can.”

   Rose reached towards John.  “Him.”

   John pulled her towards him and lifted her from them floor, gathering her into his arms. She cried out in pain but insisted it was alright, and leaned her head against his shoulder out of pure necessity, and John was starting to wonder if she had a concussion. 

      “Thank you,” she whispered. 

      “I would’ve never left you alone,” he said in response, hoping for all the world that she believed him. 

      Rose clung to him when they tried to take her alone in the ambulance, demanding weakly that John sit in the ambulance with her. John agreed when the police agreed, and got into the  back of the ambulance, where paramedics were already booking machines to her vitals. Rose wouldn’t look at him but reached her hand out to him, and that was enough. 

     “I’m so embarrassed,” she whispered as she watched her own slow heart rate. 

    Before John had the chance to ask her about that, the paramedics started shouting. They knew already that she had a broken leg and wrist (the wrist on the hand John was not holding) and she had internal bleeding as well as many places that would bruise.  She looked terrible, John had to acknowledge, and he hated that. He’d laughed and joked with this woman all night, only for it to end like this. 

      He talked to her all the way to the hospital, trying to keep her awake and focused on him. She did pay attention to him, though she wouldn’t look at him, and her cheeks were burning red.  John couldn’t understand why she was so embarrassed.  It wasn’t her fault, and he wanted to tell her so, but didn’t, just squeezed her hand softly.  

“Rose, look at me,” He said quietly.  “Are you alright?”

Rose blew out her cheeks and winced at the motion. “I’m okay,” she whispered, “I think.  I’ve got a lot of injuries though, yeah?”

“You do,” One of the paramedics answered.  “We won’t know until we get you to the hospital.  There’s definitely a lot of damage, love.”

Rose cringed. “Broken wrist and leg for sure.”

“Yes, miss.”

John leaned his elbows onto the gurney, feeling like he needed to be closer to her.  “I’m sorry, Rose.”

She turned and looked at him, her brows furrowed.  “What- What could you possibly have to be sorry about?”

He couldn’t even bear to look at her, instead focusing on her fingers between his. “I’m sorry I didn’t get inside in time, I should’ve had a better plan, to be quicker.”

“John…”  Rose huffed out a short laugh. “You saved me.  That’s nothing to be sorry about.”

He didn’t want to make it about him, but he also felt like he needed to say it, needed to apologize for failing her.  “I’m sorry, though, I am,” He said, “Can I stay with you in the hospital tonight? Just to make sure you’re alright?”

“I was gonna ask if you could stay,” Rose admitted sheepishly.  “Dunno if I’ll wanna wake up alone in a hospital room.”

She kept almost slipping into sleep, and John had to keep her awake until they got to the hospital.  Once they got there he wasn’t allowed to go back with her, so he sat in the waiting room, waiting to hear any news about her.  Usually, it was easy for him to talk to new people and make friends, but he couldn’t do it this time. He wasn’t sure why he worried about Rose quite so much, why he  _ cared  _ quite so much.  She had wormed her way into his life in such a sort time and he was loath to ever let her leave.  

Being near her made him happy, and John realized it had been a long time since he’d been properly happy.  But her having a boyfriend had sort of thrown a wrench in it all.  He’d decided though, on that first night, that he’d look out for her, not to manipulate her or make her love him, but simply to make sure she was alright.

She was important to him.  He wasn’t sure how it happened, but it had, and as much as it frightened him, he wanted to be around her as much as he possibly could.  

John had to wait for three hours before a nurse came out holding a clip board, and called out, “Party for Rose Tyler.”

He got to his feet so quickly he was a bit dizzy, as though he’d forgotten how long he’d been awake.  He raised his hand. “Yeah, I’m- I’m here to see Rose Tyler.  Is she alright?”

“She’s on a load of pain killers, sir.  Broken wrist and leg, internal bleeding that thankfully we’ve been able to get under control, and she was losing blood through a wound in her head…  She’s also got a concussion, and some significant bruising.  We’ll need to keep her tonight and at least one more night.  She said she’d like you to stay here, if you wanted to.”

“Yes, of course I want to,” John said, nodding.  “I’m… I’m all she has, right now,” he said sadly, realizing that it was true.  “Yeah, I’d like to see her now.”

The nurse escorted him back to Rose’s room, where she was laying, her eyes closed.  She was hooked up to several machines, her heart rate monitored and and IV pushing fluids back into her system.

He slowly approached the bed, wanting to get closer to her to see her breathing but not knowing if that was fully appropriate. He stood next to her, one leg pressing to the railing, and as though sensing his presence, her eyes fluttered open.  

She regarded him blearily and smiled.  “Hi,” she said softly.

“Hi.”

“You can sit, you know.  Don’t need to stand all night,” she suddenly looked self conscious, “I mean,  you don’t have to stay if you don’t want to, but you could… I’ll shut up now,” she mumbled, her eyes slipping closed.  

He chuckled a little and pulled a chair to her side, sitting down and resting his hand on her forehead. She was running a touch hot, but he supposed that was to be expected, with everything that had happened to her.

“I’d love to stay,” he said softly.  

“You’re pretty much my next of kin,” She joked weakly, though she couldn’t even manage a smile. 

He stroked her forehead. “Well, that’s not true.”

“It sort of is.”  She opened her eyes again, difficult for her around the swelling.  “Thank you,” she whispered. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t been there.  Actually, I don’t want to think about it.”

“Then don’t, it’ll probably hurt your head,” he said, trying to keep his voice as gentle as possible so he wouldn’t jar her poor head.  

Her eyebrows creased and she suddenly looked terribly distressed.  “Tell me something nice,” she said softly.  “Tell me that the world isn’t terrible.”

“Well, the world  _ is  _ terrible sometimes,” John acknowledged, before taking his hand from her face and leaning his elbows onto the bed.  “But there are some things that aren’t terrible.  There’s mother nature, which is very wonderful, when you think about animals and the magnificence of the stars.  There are people who hold doors open for strangers, people who fall in love, people who protect other people.” He couldn’t think of what else to say, so it was very well that she cut him off.

“People who bring tea to their neighbors they don’t know.”

“If you like,” he said, smiling.

“They said I have to give a police statement tomorrow,” she whispered, and it was clear that she was dozing off.  “Will you stay with me when I do?”

“If you still want that in the morning.”

“I like that,” she whispered.

“What?”

“That you ask me what I like, what _I_ wanna do. Not just what you wanna do.”  
His heart wrenched at the thought of what this poor woman had gone through.  What she’d endured.  He watched her drift off to sleep and tried to make himself  comfortable enough in the chair to do the same.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> more warnings on this chap since Rose has to make her statement to the police. I kept it short, but just in case.

The next morning, Rose woke up and remembered what happened.  She took a few moments to remember, to think about what had happened the night before, and then grimaced painfully.  It had been a  _ terrible  _ night.  She didn’t want to think about what had happened with Jimmy.  Glancing over, she saw John’s head laying on the bed next to her bed, cradled on his arms.  She smiled a little.  He’d come for her, she remembered.  Picked the lock and knocked Jimmy out so he could save her. 

She felt pain in every part of her body, afraid to move.  She wanted to talk, to rouse John so she didn’t have to talk anymore, but she didn’t know how to wake him.  It would be obnoxious, wouldn’t it?  He’d stayed up so late for her, to wake him would be rude.  She lay her head back on her pillows and tried to go back to sleep, but now that she was awake, her mind was absolutely whirring.  Her heart started beating faster as she couldn’t stop it, her chest rising and falling rapidly.  

John started stirring next to her and she shut her eyes, trying to pretend to go back to sleep.  She breathed hard through her nose, trying to keep quiet.  Unfortunately, John was on the way to waking up, and she heard him sit up. He rested his hand on hers, the touch tentative and gentle.

“Shh,” he whispered soothingly, “Rose, are you awake?”

She couldn’t lie to him, and found that she wouldn’t want to.  She opened her eyes as much as she could and regarded him carefully.  “Sorry, didn’t want to wake you.”

“I was waking up anyway.” he said, “Besides, I'm happy to keep you company.”  He blinked slowly at her, as he was clearly still foggy.  “How are you?”

She nodded a little. “I’m okay,” She said, and winced. “Hurts, a little,” she asked.

His brow furrowed. “Where? How much?  I can call for the nurse.”

She stopped him with a touch to his hand. “John, I’m okay,” She said hoarsely.  “In theory, you know. It’s been… I’m having a bit of trouble thinking about it.”

“You don’t have to think about it,” He said, sitting up a little straighter.  “Not right now, okay?”  
She sniffed.  “I do though, I have to think about it to give my police report, and they’ll probably be up here soon to interview me,” she closed her eyes, not wanting to see the pity in his eyes, not wanting to see him upset.  It was too much, and Rose wanted to pretend like she was alright.  

“Yes, well, right this second you don’t have to think about it,” He said, his brows drawing together in what she wanted to think was worry for her.  He pulled her hand closer to him and squeezed it gently.  “Really, you don’t have to.”

Rose didn’t think he understood how much what had happened the night before invaded her mind without her permission.  She felt sick with irrational fear that Jimmy was still going to come for her, that whatever jail sentence he got wouldn’t be enough to keep him away from her forever. She didn’t want to be looking over her shoulder for the rest of her life. 

“So, I guess I’m not dating Jimmy anymore,” She said, laughing hoarsely. “I think I should dump him.”

John smiled tightly and nodded.  “If that’s what you want.”

“You don’t want to tell me what you think I should do?” Rose asked curiously, surprised he didn’t heartily agree with her statement.

John frowned deeply, regarding her with a bit of sadness.  “No,” he shook his head.  “I would never give you my opinion on something like this without you wanting it. I wouldn’t want to force anything on you.”

She smiled a little. “I don’t think you know how much I appreciate that,” she said softly.  “Thank you.”   

He smiled back, though it looked a little weak, and she suddenly felt guilty for taking sleep away from him. He’d stayed up late to make sure that she was alright, and after he’d saved her life and come with her to the hospital, he’d forgone more sleep to stay by her side.  The guilt weighed heavily in her stomach, and she couldn’t look at him any more.  She turned her face away from him and closed her eyes, trying to ignore the gentle stroking of his fingers over her hand and wrist.

“Rose?  What are you thinking?” he murmured, clearly not trying to encroach on whatever she might be feeling at that particular moment.

She shook her head against the pillow.  “Nothing,” She said softly.

A nurse entered the room then, relieving Rose of the awkwardness that she was certain had been about to settle in between them.  The nurse was a chipper young woman who had brought Rose a cup of ice chips, some juice, and a simple breakfast of hot cereal.  She said she would stay and help Rose eat, but Rose insisted she could do it herself.

“There’s going to be an officer coming up in about an hour, I’m told,” The nurse said.  “Is it alright to send him up when he gets here?”

Rose nodded slowly. “Can’t put it off, I suppose.”

“Sure thing, Miss Tyler.”

“Do you need help?” John asked quietly once the nurse had gone and Rose was adjusting to sitting up straight, her tray situated on the little table in front of her.  

She took her hand from his and reached for the plastic spoon. “I don’t think so,” she said softly.  “Will they wonder where you are?  At work?”

“I took the day off when I got home,” he said, “They won’t miss me.”

“You took the day off… did you know I was going to be in the hospital?”

“I had severely hoped not,” John said, sounding a little offended at her presumption.  “It was as a precaution, in case you felt sad or sick today and needed someone to be with.  I knew that no matter what, Jimmy was going to hurt your feelings when he got home.”

Rose‘s eyes widened with realization.  “And you were going to sit with me and make it better.”

He blushed and sputtered a bit, smoothing down his clothes, looking anywhere but at her.  “I thought I might be helpful,” he admitted.  

“You are helpful.”

He frowned.  “Obviously not as much as I could be,” he said, “I should’ve got to you before anything at all happened to you.”  
She reached out and touched his fingers.  “John, you would’ve had to have been a whole lot earlier than just last night if you wanted that.”

He blinked at her, and realization came over his face. “Oh, Rose… He’s- Before.”

She looked back to what appeared to be a bowl of oatmeal.  Upon further examination, she decided it couldn’t really be called that, and the hospital probably thought it was close enough anyway.  She couldn’t be arsed either way though, food was food, and she was just happy to be alive.  

“I could- I could just  _ beat him up  _ for that,” John said, sounding very frustrated.

Rose giggled. “I think you did, didn’t you?”

“Didn’t get a really good shot in,” he replied, offering a smile back, as though he wasn’t sure if he was allowed to do so.  

They were relatively quiet for the next hour, as Rose hadn’t realized how much effort it would take to eat.  By the time she’d finished her cereal she was leaning her head back on the bed, complaining about being tired again.

“You should at least have some more juice and ice,” John tried to coax her.  His voice sounded so pleading that she really had no choice but to obey.  She opened her swollen eyes slightly, watching his earnest expression as he fed her ice chips with a spoon and guided a straw to her chapped and broken lips.  

After a few minutes of this, though, she turned her head away.

“That’s alright,” he said, stroking her hair back from her face. “You did good.”

She should’ve reprimanded him for cooing at her, but she couldn’t bring herself to.  He was doing it because he cared about her and wanted her to be safe.  She sighed heavily and settled back in the bed, focusing on his caress.

“Tell me John… do I have a black eye?” She asked finally, wanting to break the tension somehow.

He chuckled lowly.  “I’m afraid so, Rose.  It’s not as bad as you think, though, I promise.  You look lovely.”

“I do not.”

“Well, you do to me.”

When the policeman came up to Rose’s room, any relaxation that had managed to settle over her body was gone.  The officer introduced himself and shook both John and Rose’s hands.  

“I’m sorry to come so soon, but it’s important you tell us everything you remember.  The longer we wait, the more your mind might block out.”

Rose nodded slowly, her hand clutching John’s on the bed.  “I understand.  Is Jimmy in jail, then?”

“Yes.  Even without your statement, CCTV shows us exactly what happened, and how Mr. Smith here saved you,” the officer nodded to John.  “He’s being held, but your words will give him a longer sentence, if we can help it.”

Rose nodded.  “So… What do I say?”

The officer flipped his notepad open. “Whatever you can remember. Whatever you think might be helpful.”

“Erm,” Rose shifted her feet a little and winced at the movement.  She’d forgotten all about her leg.  “I’d been out with some girls and John, at a pub.  We’d just gotten off work, and Jimmy was there with some chit.  He told me I was embarrassin’ him, and I thought that maybe he’d be so drunk when he got home that he wouldn’t want anything to do to me.  It was kind of the opposite though.  He came home, completely sloshed, and started telling me I was a slag and a whore, that I was going to go running off with John.”

She took a shaky breath, closing her eyes before continuing.  “And then he just hauled off and punched me in the eye. I shouted at him, so he covered my mouth and threw me to the ground before I could even get started,” She looked down at her lap.  “That’s all I remember, just him beating me, until John showed up.”

“Thank you, Miss Tyler,” The officer said after finishing taking down what Rose had said in his notepad.  “I’ll pass this on and get back to you with an update on your case.”

“Thanks,” Rose said softly.  The officer offered her a kind smile.

“Until then, get some rest.”

“Oh, wait! Um, what happened to my flat?”

“We found several knives in Mr. Stone’s possession. Did you know about this?”

Rose blanched. “No, he never told me.”

“Mm. I suspected as such.  Miss Tyler, you may go back to your flat to collect some things, but you’ll have to find somewhere else to stay while we search the flat.”

After a moment of consideration, Rose frowned. “I don’t think I’d want to go back to the flat anyway,” she admitted quietly. 

The officer excused himself and Rose lay back, suddenly feeling so worn out that she didn’t even have the strength to pretend to have a full conversation with John.

“Are you alright?” He asked her.

She nodded a little. “I’m tired,” She whispered.

“Sleep,” he instructed, stroking her hand. “I’ll be here when you wake up, though I might nip down to the cafeteria to get something to eat.”

She was already half asleep before she called out to him.  “John?”

“Yes?”

“Does the offer to come and stay in your guest room still stand?” She asked, not even able to look at him just in case he decided how terrible it would be to have her around, what a waste of space she would be.

“I wasn’t going to ask again,” he told her softly, “But it doesn’t mean I didn't want you there.  Of course you can stay with me.”

“I don’t want to be a bother to you,” she insisted, finally peeking over at him.

He stopped where he stood in the doorway. “Rose, of anything, you could never be a bother to me.  I’ll pick up some of your things before you’re discharged.”

Rose smiled a little at the honesty in his voice, but before she could reply, exhaustion overtook her.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Absolute getting-Rose-back-from-the-hospital fluff
> 
> Enjoy!

Rose had to stay in the hospital for almost a week, which she hadn’t been expecting, but John stayed with her the whole time, which made it a bit more bearable. She was floating in and out of consciousness nearly the whole week, but she was aware of John adjusting her pillows and speaking softly to her.  

When she was discharged, John had her bags packed and her apartment was leased to someone else.  She was relieved that she couldn’t go back, that John had gotten all of her things (including the money she’d hidden away behind the medicine cabinet) and had them all placed in his flat.  He was really quite efficient.  

“Come on,” John urged her, when the doctors had disconnected her IVs.  “Up and at ‘em, your ribs are hardly bruised any more.”

She giggled, an action that no longer made her face ache.  The swelling had gone down and she only had bruises now, which would also fade in time.  “I’m a bit dizzy,” she admitted as she tried to get out of bed.  John took her hand and helped her up, tucking her hand into the crook of his elbow.  

“Lean on me,” He told her softly, and she did, leaning heavily against him.  Her legs were a little wobbly from disuse.  She’d changed into street clothes, but it had taken enormous effort and she’d had to lay down again once she was done.  

She let him lead her from the hospital room, and she tried to ignore everyone that looked at her. Apparently word spread fast around the hospital, and everyone knew exactly what had happened to her.  

They’d given her a walking boot so she didn’t have to use crutches, and her wrist was wrapped in a pink cast.  John had politely asked her what color she wanted when the doctors told her about it and Rose had laughed, but answered seriously anyway.

“My car is as close to the hospital as I could,” John said apologetically.  “What do you think about getting pizza for dinner?”

She remembered, with a little happy jump of her heart, that she was going home with him, and not back to Jimmy.  “Pizza sounds great.  The hospital food is fine when you have no appetite, but not too great when you get it back.”

He chuckled a little.  “I suppose that’s fair,” he agreed.  “Well, your work said you can stay out for about a month, just to heal some more.  You don’t want to be on your feet working with your leg still so damaged.”

Rose frowned. “Well, how am I going to pay for anything at your flat if I don’t work?  Rent?  Groceries?”

“Don’t worry about it this month, Rose,” John said, a little scolding.  “Really.  I’m doing this because I want to, I’m not going to hold it over your head as any sort of obligation.”  He led her through the bottom level of the hospital through the parking garage, where his car was parked.  He opened her door for her and helped her in, which was still something Rose had trouble getting used to.  She kept expecting him to slam it shut on her or something.  But he never did.  He closed the door softly, with just enough pressure to make sure it was shut.  

They drove home in near silence, the radio the only sound playing softly between them.  Rose hummed quietly along to the music, her head resting back against the headrest.  She didn’t even realize that John was paying attention to her until he said quietly, “You have a lovely voice.”

She opened her eyes and looked over at him.  He was blushing a little, and still looking at the road, practically ignoring her.  Well, she’d think he was ignoring her if she didn’t know better and hadn’t heard him say it.

“Thanks,” she replied softly, “I don’t sing that much anymore, though.”

“Well, maybe someday you’d sing again,” he said softly, looking at her for just a moment before back at the road.  

Rose smiled a little and laid back again.  

“Are you tired?” John asked her, and Rose nodded a little, not having much strength to reply with words at the moment.  

When it seemed clear that she wasn’t going to speak, John spoke again. “That’s okay, we’ll just rest tonight, I promise.”

“That’s a good idea,” Rose mumbled.  “I’d like a nap before we get pizza.”

“Of course, Rose.”

When they got back to John’s flat, Rose offered her old home a little glance, but didn’t want to say anything about it.  John noticed though, and led her into his flat so she wouldn’t have to keep thinking about it.  

“Here, I’ll show you to your room, okay?” John said, helping her a little but letting her guide exactly how much he was helping her. Finally, they reached the end of the hallway and John opened the door for her. 

“I put all your things away, you can sort them whatever way you like, I just thought-”

Rose smiled when she saw what he’d done.  Her comforter- not the one she and Jimmy used, but the pink one at the bottom of her closet, was draped over the guest bed.  She could see her shoes placed neatly by the dresser, some things of hers on a desk.  He’d gone to the trouble of organizing it when he wasn’t with her at the hospital.  Rose felt her heart swell a little bit.  

“John, you didn’t need to go to all that trouble,” she said, looking over at him.  “Organizing, finding my old comforter-”

“I wanted to,” John said, “I wanted you to feel at home.  I’m glad I found your comforter, I didn’t want to use your… Other one.  I think… I’ll go order the pizza, and you can have a nap.”

She looked up at him, recognizing the vulnerable look in his eyes.  He was studying her, like he was waiting for her to snap because he said or did the wrong thing. Rose finally reached up and hugged him, wrapping her arms around his neck.  He hesitated for a moment and then finally embraced her back, wrapping his arms around her waist.  

They stood in the doorway for what felt like ages, and Rose felt happiness flood through her veins.  This kind of touch… Gentle and surprisingly affectionate, was something she hadn’t felt for a very long time.  It was lovely, and she would’ve said as much, but she couldn’t.  Not when she’d just got back from the hospital, not after what happened with Jimmy.  It wasn’t right, and not fair to John.

After several moments, she finally pulled away, smiling up at him.  “Thank you,” She said, patting his chest. “I don’t know how to thank you enough, I really don’t.”

He shook his head, hands still on her waist in a way that made her feel oddly safe.  “You don’t have to thank me at all,” He promised, “You don’t owe me anything, I’m doing this because you’re my friend and I care about you.”  He reached up and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.  “Here, get some rest and I’ll see about dinner, I’ll wake you when it’s ready, okay?”

She felt her fatigue settle into her bones and leaned into her touch.  “Okay,” She agreed, and he left her alone in the guest room.  She smiled a little to herself and kicked her shoe off before crawling into bed.  It smelled like her own perfume, not Jimmy’s heavy cologne, and it made her feel quite safe.  She burrowed into the covers and closed her eyes, feeling completely safe.

She woke to a gentle shaking on her shoulder, and when she blinked her eyes open she found herself staring into John’s.  She smiled a little and reached out to touch his face.  He beamed at her.  

“You’ve been asleep for about an hour,” he told her, “The pizza just got here.”

“Okay,” She whispered, blinking slowly, “I’m up.”  She closed her eyes again and John laughed a little.

“You’ll just fall back asleep and dinner will get cold.  I promise, I’ll let you sleep once you’re done eating.”

“We could watch a movie,” she mumbled.

“If you want.”

She sighed heavily, realizing that it had been a long time since she’d seen a movie with someone.  Jimmy knew she liked going to see films in theatres, but told her it was too expensive to take her. It wasn’t as expensive as he wanted her to think and she knew that. 

“You’ll really watch one with me?” She asked, opening on eye at him.  He laughed and nodded.  

“Of course, Rose.  I’ve got a whole DVD collection, you can pick whatever you want.”

Rose smiled and let him pull her out of bed, yawning widely.  John didn’t make her talk, but he spoke to her quietly about the students he’d taken on and how they were doing.  Rose asked questions when it was appropriate, and they sat together on the couch to eat, since Rose wasn’t sure she could stay sitting upright.  

“John?” She asked finally, once they were done eating, paper plates stacked on the coffee table with the empty pizza box.

“Please don’t… I’m not a tart, or anything, but can you- could you stay with me in the guest room tonight?  I don’t know what I would do if I woke up alone.  I haven’t yet, you’ve always been here.”

“If you want,” John replied, nodding a little. “If it’ll make you feel safe, I’d be more than happy to.”

She shook her head a little, laughing. “I’m sorry.  I feel like I’m invading your space, and now I’m asking you to share a bed with me.  I’m ruining your life.”  
“Stop,” John said firmly, though there was no weight behind it.  He rested his hand on her forearm. “Rose, I don’t want you to ever think that any of this is your fault.  You are _not_ ruining my life, and taking care of you is not ruining me.  I want to do it, alright, and I will not have you keep apologizing for it.”  He squeezed her arm.  “Okay?”

Rose nodded, finding it difficult to look away from his eyes.  They looked so deep, and the way they searched her made heat take over her body. She swallowed hard and smiled.  “You can’t be real.”

“Why not?”

“You’re too nice.’

He blew out his cheeks and lifted a shoulder.  “I just know what it’s like to have someone be unkind to me, and… When I saw it was happening to you, someone as  _ wonderful  _ as you, I couldn’t leave you alone.”

Despite some of the things they had said to each other, some of which were probably too deep, nothing was awkward between John and Rose.  They stayed up late, watching movies and Rose ended up  curled against his side, her casted hand laying against his thigh.  His arm was wrapped around her shoulder and she realized she hadn’t felt quite so safe in a very, very long time.  

“The police called while you were asleep,” John said, “Jimmy pled guilty to attempted murder and assault.”

“Oh?” Rose asked, tipping her chin to look at him.  “What did they say?”

“They said you weren’t fit to be at the sentencing, but they called to tell me he got ten years total in prison.”

Rose breathed out a sigh of relief and laid against him again.  He pressed a kiss to her hair and rubbed his hand up and down her upper arm.

“Are you okay?” He asked her.

“Yeah, m’fine,” She promised. “Relieved, I guess.  You know?”

“I think I do,” he said softly.  He checked the clock.  “It’s one in the morning.  I’ve class tomorrow… Bedtime?”

She nodded against his shoulder.  “I’ll meet you in my room.”

“Sure,” he said, and they split up for a bit.  Rose took awhile to get dressed since her boot and cast got in the way.  When she was finally ready for bed, John knocked and entered at her call.  He was wearing blue striped jim-jams and looked very self conscious.  

“Is this still okay?” He asked her.

“Yeah,” she said, a bit worried it was too fast for something like this, but also knowing that this was also the way it had to be.  She wasn’t sure what she would do, if she woke up alone in a strange apartment.  Especially after everything had happened.  

They climbed in bed together, John nearer to the door, and John let Rose take the lead.  She took his hand under the covers but made no move to cuddle him or get any closer.  “G’night, John,” she said, closing her eyes.

He flipped the light off.  “Goodnight, Rose,” he said, and he rubbed his thumb against her hand until she fell asleep.

She woke up in the morning with a start, sitting straight up in bed.  She didn’t remember dreaming, but her heart was pounding and she could only assume she’d had a nightmare. She looked over and saw John still sleeping, turned towards her.  He probably had to get up for his class soon, but for now… She snuggled down next to him, closer than before, and wondered at the feelings she was starting to develop for this man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please review?


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We learn a little bit about John's past, but just the surface, there's much more to come!

Rose woke up before John again, as she was a very light sleeper, and found her nose pressed to John’s chest.  He was starting to stir as well, and Rose felt a feeling of safety wash over her whole body.  Her arms were curled into her chest, and she felt completely at ease. She scooted a bit closer to him and his arm wrapped tighter around her, subconsciously pulling her closer.  She didn’t mind. It surprised her how much she didn’t mind.

John woke up slowly, as as he did he rubbed a palm up and down her back, dragging her shirt along with it.  “I’m sorry,” he whispered sleepily.  

“What for?” Rose asked, closing her eyes and reveling in the sound of his voice.  It was rough with sleep and slurring slightly. 

“Um… We’re cuddling.” he said blandly.

“Yeah,” She said softly, suddenly feeling insecure about the whole thing.

“Is that… Okay?”

She nodded against his chest.  “Yeah, it’s okay,” she said, “But don’t you have a class this morning?”

He shifted to peer up over her at the bedside clock. “Not for another hour and a half.  We’re up early.  Probably just stress.”

“Okay.”  She closed her eyes and tipped her forehead against his chest.  He continued to rub her back soothingly, as though he might be trying to lull her back to sleep.  

“What are you going to do on your day off?” he asked her finally.  “Or days, rather.”

“Might catch up on my TV,” she replied, “Haven’t watched it in a while, you know.”

John hummed a little.  “I’ve got a load of channels I don’t watch, so you shouldn’t be left wanting for anything. Anything in the fridge, you’re welcome to.  You can experiment with cooking if you wanted, I have some old art supplies you can have-”

Rose giggled. “Do you want to call me a sitter for until you get back from work, John?”

“No! No, I wasn’t insinuating that at all,” he pulled back and looked into her face.  “You’re perfectly capable.”

She patted his chest.  “I know.  We should get up.”  She rolled over and winced when her injured foot twisted a little.  The doctor at the hospital had given her instructions for her walking boot, and it all had made sense, but she forgot how bad it actually hurt to move it.  She stuck her foot in the boot and adjusted it, trying to ignore how cold her body felt without John wrapped around it.  She was getting better at discerning people since Jimmy, and she had a good feeling about John.  

“What do you want for breakfast?” he asked finally, as he got out of bed.  

“Oh, I don’t care,” Rose said, suddenly feeling awkward. She was going to have to ask him for food to eat, a place to stay… This was all too much. She should’ve just stayed at her old place.  No matter how terrible and tainted it was.  It wasn’t home, but it was a place where she wasn’t dependent on anyone.  Well, she was sort of dependent on Jimmy, and she wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or not that she was alone.

Deep down, she knew she was safe for at least ten years.  That didn’t seem like a lot of time for attempted murder, but she supposed pleading guilty would have something to do with it.  There was always a lesser sentence if you admitted to your own crime.  That made Rose feel a bit irritated.  He got less time in prison because he was  _ honest  _ and admitted he’d almost killed her. It made her sick.

“Are you alright?” John asked, and she looked up, realizing he was standing in front of her, looking down at her in worry.  She hadn’t realized she’d spaced out quite so hard. 

“Yeah,” She said, nodding. “I’m fine.  Totally fine.”

He smiled a little tensely.  He pulled Rose to her feet once her boot was secured.  “Eggs?” 

“Yeah,” She whispered.  “Eggs.”

He kissed her forehead and then quickly bolted from the room when he acknowledged what he’d done.  She smiled a little to herself.  Jimmy had always known that he’d ‘owned’ her, and so whenever he wanted to kiss her and touch her, he just did it.  Most times without asking.  It was nice for someone to be nervous around her.  It hadn’t been that way since she was in high school.

By the time she had hobbled out to the kitchen, John had a cup of tea on the counter for her and was scrambling eggs in a pan.  He smiled at her when she arrived next to him.  “I’ll be home around seven.  Not sure what we’ll have yet, but-”

“I can have dinner home by the time you get back,” she said, looking down at her hands and stroking her cast.  “If you want.”

“You cook?”

Rose nodded but still didn’t look up at him.  “Yeah, sometimes.  I can- I could cook tonight.  I won’t be doing anything else.”

“If-if you want.”

Despite the initial awkwardness of the morning, Rose found herself falling easily into conversation with John, as he told her about what his students would be doing, and what he would be doing to teach for the next week.  Rose found herself genuinely interested in what he taught, and seeing him light up when he talked about it was enough for her to be excited for him.  

By the time they’d finished breakfast it was time for John to get ready to leave for work.  He rushed out of the flat, because, of course, he ended up running late.  Rose laughed a little, locking the door behind him out of habit.  

Her day, as she had predicted, was  _ boring.   _ She was used to filling her days with either work or fear that Jimmy would come home.  It was a little odd.  She jumped whenever someone passed the flat but quickly relaxed, settling into the couch to watch telly until lunch time.  

She caught up on her shows and cleaned John’s living room and bathroom before she was making dinner, hobbling around the kitchen.  John didn’t have  _ much  _ in the fridge, and Rose thought that was probably because as a single man, he must go out to eat a lot.  

The only thing she could really make was a pasta dish with a side of sauteed vegetables.  By the time she was done with the sauce and pasta, she could hear John’s key in the lock.  It was a late dinner, to be sure, and her stomach was growling, so once he was in the door she was beaming at him, excited to see him back.

“Hello!” She said, “I’m just finishing dinner.”

He loosened his tie and threw it over the couch.  “It’s been a  _ long  _ day,” he said, looking incredibly tired.  He shuffled up to her after kicking his shoes off and looked over her shoulder at the pan.  “It smells good, how did you put this together with what I had?”

She laughed, “The odds and ends you  _ did  _ have were just a good mix for vegetables.”  She turned to look at him and saw that his face was awfully close to hers, and she could feel his breath on her face.  Her grip on the spoon she was holding loosened a bit and she felt her breathing start to grow shallow.  He was close and she  _ liked  _ it, wanted him even closer but it was too quick, too much.

“We can… Eat in the dining room, or we could watch telly,” She said, not breaking eye contact.

His gaze flicked down to her lips but he stumbled back upon noticing his own motions.  “Uh, telly, I suppose. Tell me about your day.”

“I didn’t do anything, John, I’ve been here all day.”

He frowned. “But the living room is  _ spotless,  _ Rose, you did cleaning.”

“Erm, yeah, but I didn’t have anything else to do, it’s not like it was any trouble.”  She looked away from him and turned the fire off underneath her veggies.  She pushed the pan to the back burner and set about readying two plates of pasta.

“Well, even if it wasn’t any trouble at all, I just wanted to tell you that I appreciate it.  Really.”

“Oh.  Well, thanks.”

He smiled a little at her awkwardness.  She was clearly not used to being given credit for the things she did, and maybe she didn’t even expect it.  He only wished he could offer her more.  After all, she’d made  _ him  _ dinner.

They seated themselves and tucked in, Rose taking a little longer to situate herself on the couch. She was uncomfortable, but was trying not to take the painkillers they’d given her.  It didn’t feel right, in a way, and she knew she’d probably be addicted, given how willing she was to ‘try new things’ when she’d first started going out with Jimmy.  He’d made her into a person she hadn’t liked very much when she was seventeen. 

John was a quiet eater, which Rose appreciate, and when they were done Rose found herself growing tired, but not ready to go to bed. She sat down on the couch next to John, vacating her previous spot in the chair.  He looked over at her and set his nearly empty plate on the coffee table.

“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked finally.

She frowned. “Talk about what?”

“What happened with Jimmy,” John said slowly, as though trying to keep from spooking her.  “I just… You talked to the police but that was different.  I don’t want you to bottle things up.”

Rose frowned. “I don’t want to talk about it,” she said, “I know what happened was bad, and that I need to move on from it.  Isn’t that enough?”

“Well… Yes, but sometimes unresolved feelings can-”

“I don’t want to talk about it, John. What do you want me to say? I don’t have my mum, or my old friends.  You are  _ literally  _ all I have, and I just don’t know how to handle that.  I don’t know that I’ll ever stop feeling like I owe you for letting me stay here, I’ve been off work one day and I already want to go back, I’m sick of it already!  I don’t want people to pity me, and I don’t want  _ you  _ to pity me!”  She got to her feet, not looking at his gobsmacked expression, and picked up their dishes, left them in the kitchen, and went to her room.

She knew she  _ should  _ talk to him, that it would probably make her feel better, but she didn’t want to make him feel bad for her. In fact, that was literally the last thing she wanted.  She laid on her back in bed, staring at the ceiling and praying she could stop her own tears.  She didn’t want to cry over this, didn’t want to cry at all.  

Before she could wallow in self pity any more, she heard John knock at her door.  

“Rose, can I come in?  I’m sorry.”

She blew out her cheeks.  “Yeah, you can come in.”  As he opened the door she spoke again. “I’m sorry I shouted at you.”

“I’m sorry I tried to force you to talk before you were ready.”  he laid down on his back next to her and they both stared up at the ceiling. “Can I tell you something?” He asked finally.

“Sure.”

“I can’t pretend I know what you’re going through, but I was in a… Manipulative relationship.”

She looked over at him, noticing how guarded his eyes were and realized he couldn’t be lying. “What?”

“Yeah.  She, erm, told me who I could and couldn’t be friends with, who was in my ‘class’, per say. And at the same time she’d make me feel a bit worthless, like being her boyfriend was what made me important,” he finally turned his head, meeting her eyes carefully.  “And I let her for two years. When we broke up, she’d turned me into someone I didn’t know, someone who wore tailor cut suits and hardly smiled and was just… Miserable.  But she’d trained me to think that I was nothing without her.” He gestured in front of his chest. “I felt empty, and she still calls sometimes, don’t know why, but she does.  And I can’t even answer, because I’m afraid I won’t be strong enough to tell her no.”

“But you know you’re better without her,” Rose protested.

“And you’ve known for a long time that you’re better off without Jimmy,” he returned, arching an eyebrow.  “But you were still with him.”

She smiled a little sheepishly. “Point taken.”

“I just didn’t want the last time we talked today to be a fight,” he replied, “And I already know so much about you, I figured it was just about time you learned something about me… So you would see I’ve had experiences too.”

“I never said you didn’t.” 

“I know, but you didn’t  _ know  _ about them.” He poked her leg. “I’m going to grade some papers and go to sleep.”

“Yeah, I’ll be heading off too,” she agreed.  

He hesitated in the doorway when he got up to leave, and she realized that he was probably trying not to invite himself to stay the night with her.  She got up from the bed and kissed him on the cheek, keeping her other hand on the side of his neck.  Initiating such contact felt so bold and daring, and she wasn’t sure that she’d done so in a very, very long time. When she pulled back, John was staring at her like she’d hung the stars, and she blushed, dropping her hand from him. 

“Well, I’ll see you in the morning then.”

“Yes!  Yes, that you will.  Goodnight, Rose,” he bobbed his head and disappeared, and she found herself giggling.  She put her back against the door and sighed. What was she going to do if she really  _ liked  _ this man?


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They'll do it soon I promise

The next few weeks passed slowly, as Rose healed and eventually went back to work.  She was kept on register with a barstool behind it so she wouldn’t further hurt her leg.  She felt so hopeless and as though she was annoying her coworkers, but they all assured her that it was fine.  

Martha came and stood next to her at a slow moment several weeks after her accident.  “Hi,” she said, nudging her shoulder.

Rose smiled, shifting on her barstool. “Hi.”

“So, Professor Smith has been a little bit distracted lately,” Martha said suggestively.  “He likes you.”

Rose looked away, blushing a little.  It was true she was very close with John, and they had grown closer over the past weeks.  “We’re roommates,” she said, smiling.  “We’re friends, you know?”

“I think he wants to be more with you,” Martha said softly.  “But he’s afraid to.”

Rose blew out her cheeks and nodded.  “Yeah,” she said softly, “I’m afraid, too.  I mean, Jimmy got ten years, but he’s still in the back of my head, you know?  All the time.  Like if John comes home late, I jump because I’m suddenly afraid it’s Jimmy.”

Martha’s expression was sympathetic.  “Yeah, I don’t blame you.  Have you thought about seeing someone?  To talk to?”

Rose shrugged.  “I have John.”

“Well, maybe still think about it?”

It wasn’t something Rose had ever considered, at least not strongly.  But maybe she shouldn’t load everything onto John. He had his own problems, she knew his ex still haunted him on some level.  Chewing her bottom lip, she nodded to Martha.

“Alright, I’ll think about it.”

*****

John was home before Rose even got there, so when she threw her keys in the bowl by the door, he was at her side almost instantly to say hello.  She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, sighing when he hugged her tight about the waist.

“How was your day?” he asked softly, his breath rustling her hair.

“So long,” She mumbled.  “Yours?”

“Hmm,” He grunted noncommittally into her hair.  “Almost exams, it’s the roughest part of the year.  But I don’t seem to have any problem students this semester, which is good enough for me.”

He kissed her cheek, as he did sometimes, and she let her eyes fall shut at the contact of his lips against her.  They stayed there for longer than necessary, and she found herself running her fingers up into his hair.  He sighed again and Rose sensed that perhaps the moment should end before it could escalate.

Rose smiled and pulled back.  She was about to say something, she wasn’t even sure what, but his eyes stopped her.  They always did.  Every time she looked at him for too long she found herself completely incapacitated by the way he looked at her.  There was so much kindness there, and something she wanted to say was akin to fondness and affection.  Although that felt like too much to hope for, she wasn’t beyond trying. 

“Martha says I should see a therapist,” she blurted out.

John blinked, obviously surprised by the change in topic.  “Um… Do you  _ want  _ to see one?” He asked cautiously.

“I dunno,” Rose lifted a shoulder.  “Just thought I should mention it, you know?”  She searched his eyes, silently begging him to understand. 

He nodded.  “Well, doesn’t hurt to try it out, does it?” He smiled and squeezed her waist.  “I was thinking we could go out to dinner, my old roommate from Uni is in town and when I mentioned I had a roommate  _ now  _ he wants to meet you.  Told him you weren’t coming unless you wanted to, of course.”

Rose thought for a moment. It had been a long while since they’d been out of the flat together, and she was starting to miss going out with John. Not that they were ever on dates, she reminded herself sternly, but seeing the hope in his eyes, the hope that she might go with him, made up her mind for her.  If it wasn’t a date, maybe she could pretend.

“Sure,” she said, “What’s the dress code?”

“Ah, casual, I think.  It’s a nice restaurant, but nothing too fancy.”  he stayed where he was, seeming to consider it, and she squeezed his shoulder.

“Can I just get changed before we go?”

“Of course!” He stepped back from her and ran a nervous hand through his hair.  “Right. I should too, don’t want to look-well-  _ bad.   _ Okay, meet you in a bit.”

He bolted towards his room and Rose laughed a little.  He could be a little foolish, but she found she quite liked that about him.  He was nervous, though she didn’t know what about.  Part of her, the little part of her she liked to ignore, said that it was because he had an interest in her.  She felt her heart stutter a little in her chest, and she knew she’d never even think about acting on the emotions she felt for him. 

Over the weeks, those emotions had only grown, and as her bruises faded, she felt as though he pitied her less and less and just genuinely cared about her more and more.  

“Guess what!” She heard him shout from his room, and Rose laughed. 

“What?” She shouted back.

“You get your cast off your arm tomorrow!  Did you forget?”

She had to laugh, looking down at the cast.  “Yeah, I did!”

Heading back to her room, she started looking through her closet for something to wear.  Just because John said it wasn’t formal didn’t mean she wasn’t allowed to dress up a little.  She picked out a pink dress with long lace sleeves that covered her arms.  Her arms had scarred a little more than expected, and she had to admit, at least to herself, that she was ashamed of them.  But the dress covered it, cinched tightly at the waist, and ended by flowing just above her knees. 

The walking boot certainly detracted from the look, but Rose figured there was only so much she could do about it.  

When she was finished doing her hair up and touching her makeup, she walked back out to the living room.  John was already standing there wearing dark wash jeans and a blue oxford.  He looked up from his phone and met her eyes. 

“You look lovely,” he said softly. 

“Thanks,” She said, rubbing part of her skirt between her fingers.  “So do you.”

He blushed a little and offered her his arm.  “Can I take you to our carriage?” He asked, arching his eyebrow at her.

She giggled and threaded her arm through his, feeling a bit of a thrill go through her as she touched him.  “Thank you,” She said, affecting a posh accent just to make him laugh. 

The car ride was  _ fun,  _ Rose decided.  John liked to sing along to the radio and gesture with one hand, making Rose laugh so hard she was nearly in tears. Halfway through he reached over and took her hand, holding it on the center console.  He didn’t seem to even notice that he’d done it, as his demeanor didn’t change at all.  Rose suddenly felt like a teenager again, not knowing what touches meant, what she should expect… But she liked it.

When they pulled up to the restaurant, Rose had to stop her jaw from dropping.  It was far nicer than any place Jimmy had ever taken her, far nicer than any place she’d ever been able to afford.  

“Oh, John, I don’t have enough money-”

“Rose.  I invited you,” his brow furrowed.  “I do  _ not  _ expect you to pay.  Besides, we have to pay rent in a week, so…” He shrugged and grinned at her.  Her uneasiness melted away and she breathed out a sigh.

“I do, at some point, have to pay you back for everything you’re doing for me,” she said softly.

“No, you don’t,” he said firmly.  “God, Rose, I’m being a  _ gentleman,  _ could you just let me?  Please?”

She let out a sigh and nodded.  “Okay,” She said, “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry.”  He turned to look to the entrance of the restaurant.  “Oh, look, there he is.  Come on!”

He opened her car door for her, as usual, and led her to a rather dashing man with blue eyes and a charming smile.  “Captain Jack Harkness, and who are  _ you?” _

Rose giggled, both at the man and at the disgusted look on John’s face.  

“Oh, don’t do that.” John said, and reached to shake the man’s hand. “You have  _ not  _ changed.”

“I’ll never change,” Jack swore.  He looked over at Rose.  “You know, when John said he was going to invite his roommate, you were not what I expected.”

“What did you expect?”  Rose asked.

“Someone ugly on the inside, John has never attracted good people.  It’s because he’s too good himself.” He clapped John on the shoulder.  “Too good for  _ your  _ own good, aren’t you?”

John was blushing and grumbling.  “I just- I just try to be  _ nice.” _

“Well, I could be ugly on the inside, you don’t know me,” Rose said, smiling, and John was blustering so much that he mentioned something about checking on their reservation.  

Jack nodded to Rose and lowered his voice. “I’ve never seen John look at anyone the way he looks at you, Rose, that’s pure admiration.”

“Oh, I dunno about that,” Rose mumbled.  “We’re just roommates.”

“Hm,” Jack tilted his chin, “Doesn’t seem to appear that way to him.”

When they got inside, John was standing with the hostess, looking quite awkward and waiting for them. He reached for Rose’s hand and she let him take it and followed him to their table.  Jack pulled out Rose’s chair for her and John seemed a bit miffed by it, but Rose hardly noticed. 

“So, John, what have you been  _ doing?”  _ Jack asked when they were all sat down, “I heard you’re teaching.”

“I am, I’m a Professor now,” John said, “Got my doctorate as well.”

Jack laughed.  “Far more impressive than I’ve ever been.  I’m working at a government agency, thankfully, good grades were not a factor.”  He winked at Rose.  “And what do you do, Rose?”

Rose suddenly felt self conscious and lifted a shoulder.  “Not much, I just… I work in a shop, that’s all.”

“That’s all?” John shook his head. “She’s been considering going back for her A-levels.”  He sounded proud and Rose wasn’t quite sure what to make of that.

“Oh, that’s wonderful!” Jack enthused. “It’ll be well worth it.”

Rose found herself not terribly involved in the conversation, but that was alright, because John was excited to speak with his friend, and jack was pleasant company.  They included her in conversation just enough that she didn’t get overwhelmed, and she was very grateful for it. The food was good (Almost too good) and though her injuries got her many glances and people were certainly whispering about her, Jack hadn’t mentioned it and John wasn’t drawing attention to it.

When Rose excused herself to go to the ladies’, Jack turned to John, a worried look marring his lovely face.

“What happened to her?” He asked softly.

“She was… In an abusive relationship,” John replied, lifting a shoulder.  “I can’t say any more, Jack, it’s not my story to tell.”

Jack nodded, “Of course,’ he said.  “But you like her?”

“Erm.  Yeah, I suppose.”

“No, like, in an adult way, John.”

“Alright, fine, yes, but she’s hardly ready for that, isn’t she?  She just needed a place to stay and I thought that since I don’t have a roommate or anything it wasn’t a bad idea.”

Jack smiled a little. “No need to get defensive, I’m happy for you. The both of you, if the way she looks at you when you’re not looking is any indication.  I have never seen a girl look at you like that.”

“Oh, come off it, she is not interested.”

“But she is.”

“Hm.”

“Don’t turn your nose up at me, that’s rude.”

“Well, I-”

“Having fun?” Rose asked as she approached again.  She grimaced a little as she sat and John covered her hand with his.  

“Are you alright?”  
“I just needed to take some painkillers, my foot is giving me trouble,” she smiled and as she adjusted her chair, Jack stole a glance at the two of them.  

It really was very sweet.

“So, do I have permission to come and visit the two of you?” He asked finally, “I’m in town for about two months.”

“Oh, I’d love that!” Rose said, “We hardly even see each other, we’re both so busy.  You could come round for dinner!”

John nodded in agreement. “Sure, providing you keep yourself under control,” John pointed a finger at him and Jack winked.  

“Shall we say Saturday?” Jack asked, feigning indifference, “You know, so you two don’t forget all about me.”

They agreed on Saturday, and Jack’s plan was already clicking into place.  He’d get them together by the end of Saturday night if he had any say in it.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jack's "saturday plan" will go into effect the next chapter. For now, we meet Reinette and start to uncover what's happened to John.

 

“Are you alright with Jack coming over?”  John asked on the way home from the restaurant.

Rose, who was half asleep in her seat, rolled her head against the headrest to look at him.  “What?”

“I just- I didn’t really think, but it’s a lot of pressure on you, you live in the flat too, and I-”

“John,” she laughed. “I like Jack, and he’s an old friend of yours. Of course he can come over.”

“Alright… Good, I just didn’t want to… Force you. You know?”  He looked over at her earnestly.

She nodded. “I know.  And you’re not forcing me. I would’ve told you.”

The rest of the car ride passed in silence, as Rose didn’t have anything else to say, and John didn’t want to push her at all.  She practically felt him looking over at her, worry saturating the mood in the car.

It was second nature to her, now, to wait until he had gotten out of the car to open up her car door.  She thanked him and took his hand, allowing him to pull her up.  She didn’t let go of his hand, and he grinned at her to show that he approved of that development.  She leaned her head against his shoulder as they walked to the flat, and for the first time, she barely spared a glance at her old flat.  

“Do you want to stay up and watch telly for a bit?” John asked, rubbing his thumb over hers.

“Sure,” she said absently, “Just let me take a shower first, okay?”

She was quick in her shower, mostly because the implications of possibly snuggling with John were enough to spur her into action.  She slipped on a pair of flannel pajamas after her shower and walked back out to the living room.  John was already there in his pajamas as well, a blanket draped over his legs.  

“You don’t want to shower?” She asked him.

“I will in the morning,” he said, pulling back a corner of the blanket.  She sat next to him, pulling the blanket over her lap, settling back against the couch.  She felt oddly content, and wanted to cuddle into him immediately, but she didn’t think she wanted to appear too eager.  He made her feel so comfortable and she wished she could say so without him feeling like he should pity her, and of course she would feel safe with him.

“Are you alright?” John asked, and she realized she’d been a bit spaced out.  

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Rose said, “Just… Thinking. What do you think we should cook for Jack when he comes over?”

John huffed out a laugh.  “I don’t think we could make any food that Jack wouldn’t like,” he said, “He, erm, he likes you, you know.”

“No he doesn’t,” Rose replied firmly.  “Well, I mean, he does, I suppose, but not like that.”  She tilted her head against his shoulder and he hummed happily, welcoming the contact.  

“Well, we don’t know that,” he said softly.

She smiled a little.  “I’m not interested in him like that,” she said.

“Well!  I’d imagine that you’re not ready for something like that, you know?  But in time, you might-”

“John, that’s not why I’m not interested in Jack,” she pulled the blanket up a little higher on her and slid down on the couch, letting him wrap his arm around her.  She didn’t elaborate any more, and he didn’t ask her to, but she felt the tension go out of him.  Smiling a little to herself, she thought it might be because he… Felt something for her.  Perhaps.  

It would be nice, anyway.

Rose fell asleep against him shortly after, when they were halfway through a chat show. She hadn’t realized how tired she’d been until she woke up several hours later.  They’d shifted in the night, John laying lengthwise on the couch with Rose laying over him, the blankets pulled up over them.  She pressed her ear to his chest, listening to his heart beat. 

She could feel him waking up, and the darkness made her bold.  She propped herself up and looked down into his face.  He blinked his eyes open and smiled when he looked at her. 

“Not a bad way to wake up,” He whispered, “Though it’s still the middle of the night.”

“Not bad at all,” she said, reaching up to cup his cheek.  “We should go to bed though, your back will hurt in the morning.”

He looked at her in that moment like she had hung the stars in the sky, and Rose’s breath caught.  She couldn’t remember a time when anyone had looked at her like that.  It shouldn’t have been a romantic moment, the light from the tv they’d never turned off lighting one side of his face, and them lying on a couch that was far too small.  

But in the midst of it all, it was  _ desperately  _ romantic, and Rose realized she was still touching his face and colored deeply.  She drew her hand away and he caught it against his chest, keeping her from moving anywhere.  His breathing was growing a little shallow and she heard him swallow.

“I- do you mean, to share?” he asked softly, the nervousness so thick she could almost reach out and touch it.  

“If that’s okay,” Rose whispered.  “If you wouldn’t mind.”

He shook his head.  “No, I wouldn’t mind at all, if you’re alright with it.”  

She laughed. “I asked, didn’t I?”

“Ah! I suppose you did.  Up!”

She giggled and got off of him, pushing the blanket down to the couch.  She stood and led him back to her room, not feeling brave enough to go to  _ his  _ room.  He followed her without a word, not wanting him to spook, and not wanting to spook herself.  

She crawled into bed first and he followed, letting her make the decision to roll into his arms.  It was far more comfortable than the couch, and he could hold her more closely this way.  Her eyes fell shut as she felt him stroke his fingers through her hair. 

“How are you feeling?” He asked softly, “These days, I mean.”

“Fine,” She said, “Good.  I think I  _ should  _ see somebody though, at least once or twice.”  She bit her lip, unsure if she should tell him the next part of what she was thinking.  “I’ve been having nightmares.”

“Oh, I wish you’d told me,” John said softly, “I could’ve tried to help, at least a little bit.”  
She smiled.  “It’s alright, I don’t want to… Be a burden to you, or anything.”

“Rose, I-I  _ want  _ you here.  Nothing you could ever do or ask me could be a burden.  Really.”

She hummed, not even knowing what else to say to that.  It made her happy, certainly, but it didn’t change the fact that she wasn’t sure that she was ready for anything with him.  Parts of her just wanted to kiss him, to see what would happen, what he would do, but fear held her back.  Fear that his kind demeanor would dissolve if she was demonstrative with him.  She didn’t think he would ever hurt her, but she didn’t want to make him upset.

She could feel John inhaling to talk again, but a knock at the door startled them both.  She propped herself up and looked down at him in fear.

“Nothing is going to touch you,” he said firmly, “Nobody will.”

“Who could possibly be here?” She whispered.

He shook his head and sat up, taking her with him.  She perched herself up, sitting away from him. “Should we answer?” She whispered.

He lifted a shoulder and looked towards the closed curtains.  “It probably wouldn’t hurt.  We can leave the chain on the door.  You can stay here, if you like.”

“No, I want to be there.”

“Okay,” he got out of the bed and she followed him, pulling her dressing gown from her desk chair and threw it on over her pajamas.  She fell in a few steps behind John and the knocking continued. Rose felt her anxiety rise.  She knew it wasn’t Jimmy, it couldn’t be, he was in  _ jail,  _ but she still felt like her stomach was rolling and she reached out to grab John’s hand.  

“It’s alright,” he promised, approaching the door to the flat.  He looked through the peephole and his jaw dropped. 

“What!”  He unlocked the door and flung it open.  “Reinette, what the hell?”  
Rose dropped his hand, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable.  A wave or relief washed over her, but at the same time she started to feel incredibly uncomfortable.  This must be his ex.  

“I thought you might be missing me,’ Reinette smiled, and Rose cringed. This woman was incredibly beautiful, poised, and everything Rose never thought of herself.  She turned around to leave, but John stopped her.

“No, Rose, stay here.  This won’t take long.”  He turned flashing eyes to Reinette.  “You call, and you leave messages, and you  _ won’t leave me alone,  _ and I really wish you would.”  He winced, as though sounding how juvenile it sounded, but Rose felt pity for him.  It was clear, in his defensive posture, in his clenched hands, that he was afraid of this woman.  

The woman at the door pouted at him.  “John, you know you don’t mean that.  You’ll come back again, you know you will.”

“Reinette, stop.”  

“And who are you rooming with?  Is this my replacement?”  Reinette’s voice was a purr, and Rose instantly felt about three inches tall.

“She’s my roommate, her name is Rose, and nothing in my life is any of your business,” John snapped.  “Kindly leave before I call the police.”

Reinette’s eyes settled on Rose.  “You keep his bed warm. He wouldn’t even let me do that.” She laughed and reached forward to pat John’s cheek. “Sweet, innocent man,” her voice was condescending and John flinched away from her touch.

“Enough,” John’s voice was low and dangerous.  “I don’t have to put up with this anymore.  I shouldn’t have to!   Reinette, if you don’t leave right now I’m calling the police.”

The woman blinked and stepped back.  “I- John, how dare you talk to me that way.  Come outside, where you don’t have to pretend to be brave for this…  _ Woman. _ ”

John looked as though he might actually step outside with her, though the conflict in his eyes told Rose that he didn’t really want to.  She inhaled deeply, clenching her fists at her sides.  It was time to be brave.  

“He asked you to leave,” Rose said quietly from her place next to John.  “And this is my flat too, and I don’t want you here either. So…” She inhaled deeply, “Please leave.”

Reinette looked taken aback by this, and Rose felt an odd sense of power come over her.  She straightened up and got closer to Reinette, taking her by the shoulders and guiding her farther outside of the flat.  “I don’t want the door to hit you,” she said, smiling. She walked back into the flat and shut the door in Reinette’s gobsmacked face.  

John smiled weakly at her.  “I-of anything else, that was not what I expected.”

“Me neither,” Rose agreed, smiling. “Are you alright?”

He opened and closed his mouth, nodding. “I think so.  I think so, yeah.  Um, sorry.”

She’d never seen him so nervous, and she realized that they weren’t so different.  Their experiences were different, of course, but he looked shaken by Reinette’s appearance, and since there weren’t any retreating footsteps, Rose had a feeling Reinette hadn’t left yet.  She turned around and pounded on the door.  “Hey!  Get  _ out of here!”  _

Reinette left then, sputtering and shouting to John that this “Wasn’t over”.  Rose rolled her eyes and turned back to John.  

“Here, how about we just go back to bed?” She offered.  “I’m not the only one that ever needs comforting.”  She smiled and took his hand, leading him back to her room.  

“I want to tell you what happened,” John said softly, “With her, what she did.”

“You’ve said she’s manipulative,” Rose said soothingly.

“I- it was that, yes, and… I just,” he sagged a little, sitting on the bed.  “I don’t want her to ruin my life, and I’m afraid she might.  I’m afraid she might ruin what we-”

“She won’t,” Rose said firmly.  It wasn’t an answer, she didn’t let him finish, but she didn’t want the first time they discussed what they had together to be when one of them was upset.  She cupped his cheeks, making him look at her.  “She won’t.”

“She’ll come back, she always comes back,” He furrowed his brows. “I want to tell you- but… I can’t, tonight.”

Rose didn’t know what Reinette had done to make the usually confident John so shaken, but it made her angry. She pulled him down to the bed and once they were covered, she wrapped him up in her arms.  He didn’t tell her to stop comforting him, and he clearly wasn’t uncomfortable. 

“They will  _ not  _ break us,” Rose whispered fiercely into his hair.  He clutched her tighter and just nodded.


	10. Chapter 10

It wasn’t odd for Rose to wake up wrapped in John.  Actually it was quite nice, though it did spark the fear that he might be more important to her than just a simple friendship.  She kissed him on the cheek and rolled out of bed, hobbling to the bathroom.  She was a little afraid; because she wanted to kiss him, because she wanted to tell him more about what happened with Jimmy, what he did to her.  

John was up in a flash and behind her in the kitchen, placing his hands on her shoulders.  “It’s cast day,” he said in a sing-song voice close to her ear.  She giggled and turned over her shoulder.  

“Yeah, it is, isn’t it?” she teased.  

“Can I come with you?” 

“If… If you want.”

Of course, he did want, because John loved being near her all the time, which was something that made Rose’s heart feel light in her chest, and she wished she understood why.  Once the doctor at the office removed her cast, John was holding her hand, looking at her and grinning.  

“Haven’t seen this hand in a very long time,” he teased, and Rose had to laugh.

The doctor laughed too, and took Rose’s hand from John, flexing her wrist and making sure she wasn’t feeling any more pain in her hand.  Rose was delighted to feel that there was nothing else wrong with her hand, and she could go without her boot the next week.  

“Almost completely healed!” The doctor proclaimed happily.

On the outside, Rose wanted to finish for him, but she thought that was a bit morbid.  So instead she offered a tight lipped smile.  “Thank you.”

“Lunch to celebrate?” John asked as they left the office, holding her newly good hand.  “It’s Sunday, after all.”

She giggled, swinging their hands. “Okay, if you want.”  

“Well, um, no, if  _ you  _ want.”

She squeezed his hand. “Yeah, then.  Okay.”

***

Rose didn’t want to go see a therapist, but she made an appointment anyways.  She needed to, she decided.  John couldn’t be her therapist, after all, he needed help too.  And she knew that if nothing else, there was nothing healthy about constantly venting to another person but having no real conversations.  She never wanted them to dread seeing each other because they only talked about negative things.  

She didn’t know what to expect when she entered the office, but a kind looking woman with dark hair and doe eyes sat in a chair, which was facing another, more plush chair.  Rose stood in the doorway for a moment, and the woman looked at her and smiled.

“Come and sit,” she said, gesturing to the chair.  “You’re Rose Tyler, right?”

“Um, yeah.  Dr. Sarah Jane Smith?”

“Just call me Sarah Jane.”

Rose laughed a little nervously and sat in the chair.  “You know, I thought when people came to therapists they had to lay on couches and talk about their problems.”

“Well, I’d like you to talk about your problems, but the couch thing is strictly unnecessary, in my opinion. Why don’t you tell me why you’re here?”

Rose shifted a little, getting comfortable in her seat, placing her purse down at her feet. She let her gaze drift over to the closed door, as though she might be afraid someone was listening in on the other side. 

“Well… My friend suggested it to me, really.  I just got out of an… Abusive relationship.  Didn’t really call it that until it was over, though.”

“Most people don’t,” Sarah Jane reassured her.  Rose smiled, thankful for the little boost.  

“Yeah.  He put me in the hospital, banged me up really bad.  I didn’t know what to do, where to turn...I don’t talk to my family, I don’t really have anybody but my friend John.”

“Tell me about him, then.”

Rose didn’t know how to describe him. “He’s my flatmate. He  _ was  _ my neighbor, mine and Jimmy’s, and he said if I ever needed somewhere to stay I could take his extra room.  So that’s where I stay now.  And I feel guilty about it.”

Sarah Jane’s brow furrowed slightly in concentration. “Why do you feel guilty?”

She lifted a shoulder. “Because he’s so kind… Because I like him more than I ought to and I think he knows it.  Because he took care of me in the hospital and took care of me when I came back to his flat.  He’s just too wonderful.”

Sarah Jane held up a hand. “What do you mean, you like him more than you ought to?”

Rose shifted uncomfortably, she hadn’t thought about what something like this would feel like.  She hadn’t expected to plunge right in, and she hadn’t expected to be so free with her words, but Sarah Jane was so kind that Rose felt as though she had to tell the whole truth to her.  She really was good.

“I have… Romantic feelings, for John,” Rose said softly, “And that doesn’t seem right, because I just got the shit beat out of me by my last boyfriend.  Shouldn’t I want to wait?  Shouldn’t I be afraid?”

Sarah Jane paused, considering.  “Whatever you are feeling at this moment is correct,” she said softly.  “You’re a strong woman to overcome what you’ve been through, and if you think John is a good man, perhaps you should trust your judgement.”

“I trusted my judgement with Jimmy, and look where that got me,” Rose said bitterly, slumping down in her seat.  “I got put in the hospital.”

“John isn’t going to fix your problems,” Sarah Jane said firmly, “And he isn’t going to help you carry them.  What he can do is support you, but you need to take care of  _ yourself,  _ and not rely on him.  Here, let’s get away from the John thing but I promise we’ll get back to it later…”

****

Rose left Sarah Jane’s office with an appointment scheduled for the next week. She’d expected she’d have some sort of spring in her step, or she’d at least be happy, but she was surprised to find that she was simply  _ exhausted.   _ Her body was fatigued, and weary from dragging up all her past pain. It had hurt for Sarah Jane to uncover how Rose had been manipulated and used by Jimmy, and she hadn’t wanted to think about it anymore.  

By the time she got back to the flat, she was almost hoping that John wouldn’t be there, because she didn’t want to embarrass herself in front of him.  She unlocked the door, threw her keys in the bowl by the door, and threw herself on the couch.  She fell asleep almost instantly.

When she woke up from her nap, it was to John stroking her shoulder gently and looking at her with a worried gaze.  He smiled a little when she peered into his eyes.

“Hello,” he said softly, “Came home from classes and you were dead to the world.  You alright?”

“Saw a therapist today,” she mumbled.

“And how was that?”

“Good,” Rose admitted, her eyes fluttering shut again, “But it tired me out.”

“I can imagine,” he said sympathetically.  “You can go back to sleep if you want.”

She shook her head.  She’d slept for long enough.  “No, I’ve got to… I’ve got to get up.  Hey, what are we making for Jack on Saturday?”  
“Whatever you want,” he replied amiably.  

“Mm. Chips.”

“Okay, well, maybe not whatever you want.”

*********

In the end, they decided on making Shepherd’s PIe, because it had been a very long time since Jack had had it, and Rose was exceptionally good at making it.  She told John, with a wistful little smile on her face, that her mother had taught her how to properly prepare it.  

The stew was almost ready when Jack arrived on Saturday night, looking very ‘swish’, as Rose called it.  He kissed her on the cheek and moved to do the same to John, who made a disgusted noise and scooted away from his friend. 

“What have you been doing all week?” Rose asked, wanting to hear more about Jack’s government job.

“Rosie, you know I can’t tell you,” Jack scolded.  “I work top-secret.  But if you’re very good I can cheat the system a little.”

Rose blushed and hurried back to the kitchen to check on their dinner.

John scowled at Jack. “Look, you can’t do that stuff to her,” he said lowly, so Rose wouldn’t hear.  “She’s been through enough, all right?”

Jack blinked. “A little protective for a girl you barely know, aren’t you?”

John ran a hand through his hair. “Jack, I found her.  I went with her to the hospital. I haven’t known her for very long but she’s very important to me.  I-” he snapped his mouth closed, sensing that he’d said too much.

“Ahh, so you admit that she’s important to you,” Jack leaned forward, his elbows braced on his knees. “I think you have some stronger feelings for Miss Rose than you let on.”

John sniffed and looked away.  “I don’t think she’s ready for any of my misplaced feelings, so I won’t be telling her and neither will you.”

Jack’s eyes twinkled with mischief, and it was clear that he was enjoying this, possibly far too much. Then again, that could be said about a lot of things when it was concerning Jack. He enjoyed  _ plenty  _ of things far too much. 

“So, you should tell her eventually.” 

“No, I… I couldn’t.”

Jack leaned back in his seat, trying to appear a bit more nonchalant about the whole situation.  “She likes you, you know. I can tell in the way she looks at you.  Like she shouldn’t, but she wants to.”

John’s resolve faltered momentarily and he wasn’t sure what to do to put it back together.  If that was true… If Rose looked at him even a little bit like the way he looked at her, he’d be a very rich man indeed.  He swallowed hard and searched Jack’s face carefully. 

“You’re not just saying that?”

“No.” 

It wasn’t until later that Jack got Rose alone, since John had agreed to do the washing up since Rose did most of the cooking.  Granted, there weren’t many dishes to do, so Jack knew that his time was short.  Rose had brought him a cup of tea and she seemed quite immersed in her own until Jack spoke.  

“So, how do you like living with John?” he asked finally.

Rose brightened. “He’s a dream, not too messy or neat, helpful.  Very kind.  Though I’m sure you know all these things.”

“I do, and now I know that you do too.”

Her smile faltered. “Yes, well, there’s a lot of stuff that’s valued in a good roommate, you know?”

“But you….” Jack reached over and touched her knee. “Rose, you like him. I can see it in you.”

Rose paled considerably. “You… You know?”

“Sweetheart, I see the way you look at him.”

“Do you think  _ he  _ knows?”

“I severely doubt it,” Jack said with the utmost confidence.  “He’s always been blind to anyone’s emotions but his own. But, Rose, he’s incredibly fond of you, so I say go for it.”  
Rose’s eyes drifted down to her lap.  “I couldn’t.  I’m too scared.”

“Well, maybe try warming up to it, yeah?  Get a little closer.  It couldn’t hurt, could it?”

“It would hurt if he rejected me,” Rose said, fighting the urge to gnaw on her bottom lip.  “It would hurt  _ so much  _ if he rejected me.”

Jack smiled softly.  “But you have to know deep down that he won’t, Rose, that he would never do anything to hurt you.”

Just then John came back into the room, wiping hi shands off on his jeans and planting himself onto the couch next to Rose. she grinned at him, her earlier worry forgotten in the face of his presence.  The grin he gave her back was that of an absolute loon and Jack admired the work he’d put into motion.  He told suggestive stories all night that had Rose and John laughing, and he noticed the gentle touches that passed between them when they thought he wasn’t looking. 

It was a quarter after twelve when Jack finally took his leave, giving them both great bear hugs before exiting their flat. When the door shut, the tension stayed with them, and John turned to look at Rose.  It was the most terrifying part of the night, and one he’d forgotten to anticipate after seeing Jack.

They were alone in the aftermath of innuendo that had been fully charged, and directed right at them.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> note the rating change, though this is very light mature. 
> 
>  
> 
> Also for those concerned, pregnancy is not in the cards, but it's really difficult to write in them 'being safe' but I promise they are.

“Do you, um, think he’ll stay in town for a while yet?” Rose asked a bit awkwardly once the heat had simmered between them for a few moments.

“Most likely, until he gets relocated,” John said, approaching her like she was a cat that would scare easily.  His eyes were trained on hers, filled with an odd soft of tender affection. It made her heart beat just that much faster in her chest, and she swallowed hard against the emotion swelling up inside her.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her against him but not exactly hugging her. She let her hands fall to his upper arms and she watched him, waiting for him to do something else.  

“He’s nice,’ she said, “I mean, I thought so before, but he’s a really good friend, and, erm, very observant.”

“Oh, he’s  _ too  _ observant,” John said, “Though part of that is his job.  Part of it is just because he likes watching people. Why, did he say something to you?”

“Just a thing or two,” she whispered, trailing a hand up his arm to wrap around the back of his neck, clenching her fingers into his hair. “We had a bit of a chat, just me and him.”

‘He didn’t try to seduce you, did he?” John asked, suddenly looking a little worried, and if Rose was correct, jealous.  

Rose shook her head, grinning. “No, he didn’t.  I don’t think he’s interested in me that way, no matter how much you seem to think so.”

It shouldn’t have felt so right, John holding her and just speaking to her.  They weren’t like this, but his hands against her bad were reassuring, and she liked having her hands on him in return.  It felt so wonderful that she just had to say something.

“John?”

“Mm.”

“I- When we first met, and you brought me tea and sat with me because I didn’t want to go home… I don’t think I’ve ever told you how much that means to me,” she smiled and stroked her hand through the hair at the back of his neck.  “It really did mean a lot though.”  
He smiled. “You know, a pretty girl who let me help her.  Was kind of nice, actually.”

“I’m sure there are plenty of pretty girls that would let you help them with anything,” she said, laughing a little.

He pulled her a little closer, shaking his head.  “No,” he said simply. “Just you.”

“Just me?”

“If that’s alright,” he said softly, suddenly looking dreadfully insecure.  He seemed to realize his hands were on her and he started to pull back a little, but she clutched at the back of his neck, keeping him in place.  

He laughed a little, breaking eye contact.  “Rose, I find myself wanting to kiss you very badly, and if I don’t move away from you I might do something very stupid.”

She sighed shakily, wondering what had happened to her.  She wanted it. She wanted him to kiss her, and her heart absolutely flew with the reassurance that he wanted to kiss her.  

“Kissing me wouldn’t be stupid,” She said softly, “That is, if you really want to.”

“But… Do you want me to?” His eyes reached hers again.

Rose nodded.  “I’d like it if you did.”

“Alright then… May I?”

“Yes.” She met his gaze steadily.  “I’m not afraid of you, John.”

He smiled and leaned down close to her, his forehead pressed to hers. It was intimate in a quiet sort of way, and her eyes fell shut when his did.  He shifted forward and his lips brushed hers, so gently. She squeezed her eyes shut and tilted her chin, kissing him with more force.

She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been kissed and enjoyed it.  He kissed her a little harder, his hands growing slightly bolder and sliding up her back.  Rose squeezed her eyes shut and let him take over, moving his mouth over hers with purpose.  He broke away from her after several hot moments, pulling her into a hug. She pressed her cheek to his and squeezed her eyes shut, wanting to hold onto him forever. 

“I care about you so much,” she whispered fiercely into his ear.

He pressed his nose to her shoulder, his hands trembling a bit.  He kissed her cheek, pulling back to look at her. 

“I care about you too,” he said softly, “You mean so much to me, and I don't know how to show you without maybe making you uncomfortable.”

She laughed, the tension broken.  “How about this: I’ll tell you if you’re making me uncomfortable, yeah?  Until then… Kiss me again.”

He kissed her again, bringing his hands from her back to cup her cheeks, holding onto her like a man desperate for all the love and affection she realized she was now willing to give to him.  He started walking and pushing her along, and she let him, her heart pounding wildly in her chest. 

“Is this okay?” He asked when he had her pinned against the wall next to his bedroom. “This-my room?”

She tilted her head back against the wall.  “Please,” she said, running her hand through his hair.

“Are you sure?”

“John,  _ yes.” _

His hands still shook as they crept over her body, and he kissed her once more and pulled her closer.  Rose found herself feeling safe being against his body. While there was certainly urgency in his touch, she never felt as though he didn’t have control over his touch.  Jimmy’s hands were eager and hurt sometimes, but John’s were skimming, gentle, and dare she even think it… Loving. 

Once they moved into his room, he pushed the door shut, looking down at her with darkening eyes.  “You are so wonderful,” he said softly.

She blushed, looking away from him, not sure what to even say in response to that.  She’d never been complimented as much as John complimented her. He stepped close to her once more and settled his hands on her waist, leaning down to kiss her neck. She closed her eyes, lifting her hands to grip his biceps, letting him kiss down her neck towards her chest.  He pushed up her shirt, sliding his hands along her bare skin.

“I - oh,” she cut off her own words with a sigh. “I want you.”

“Thank God,” he groaned, pressing his forehead to her shoulder.  She giggled and reached down to pull his oxford out of his jeans where he’d tucked it in.  She felt powerful in a way she’d never felt before, in the way he let her take over. He let her push him back onto the bed and he smiled up at her.  She crawled over him, pushing her t-shirt up and over her head on the way. He smiled a little and reached for her. When she settled straddling his hips, he sat up, wrapping his arms around her waist and pressing his nose to her collarbone.  

“You are so lovely,” he said softly, his hands coasting over her and down to her legs, over her jeans.

“So are you,” She murmured back to him, holding his head against her.  She loved his touch, and she wanted him to take control again, which was something she didn’t think she would want.  She thought she would want to have all the control, but she was surprised to find that she wanted to be under him, and she wanted him to take over. 

“John, roll over,” she commanded, tugging on his shirt, and he looked up at her, surprise written all over his face. 

“Are you sure?” he asked, taking her hands in his and holding them between them.  She looked him in the eye and nodded, and it seemed then that John was truly unleashed. 

He pushed her over, off of his lap so her back was on his bed.  She gasped at the feel of him settling in between her legs, even though they were still mostly clothed.  He bent down to kiss her again, his hands on either side of her head. She found herself just leaning back to enjoy it, to enjoy his touch and reciprocate it as best she could.  She was having trouble keeping up with him, so she tried to unbutton his shirt to get him out of it as quickly as she could. 

“I wanna touch you,” She breathed out, tugging his shirt open and running her hands over his chest. “So much. So much.”

“Yes,” he breathed out, “Yes.”

It was a blur after that.  They pulled each other’s clothes off and he touched her with a purpose.  She finally reached for his belt buckle and looked up at him, waiting silently for him to say yes.  He nodded slowly, and she tugged his jeans, getting them off of him as quickly as she possibly could.  Once they were both completely naked, he touched her cheek, getting her attention back on him. His touch was gentle, keeping her focus on him.  

His lips were swollen from her kisses, his eyes dark and lidded, and she found herself just wanting to hug him. 

“You and I… I don’t want this to be just one thing,” he said softly, “I want this to be us.  If that’s okay with you. I just don’t think I can do it, if it was just one time.”

“So you want us to be a couple,” she said, feeling her heart pound just a little harder. 

He nodded. “Yeah, I do.  You’ve become so important to me, Rose, I don’t want to live life without you.  I don’t want… I want it to be us,” he finished lamely, and Rose beamed up at him. 

“I’d love for it to be us,” she teased.  

He breathed out a sigh of relief and went to kiss her once more, his mouth covering hers in a far more hungry fashion than any other kiss he had given her before.  He adjusted himself between her legs and pushed close against her, gasping as he was fully surrounded by her. Rose let out a shuddering sigh and closed her eyes, drawing one hand down to his neck. 

“Okay?” he asked in a shaky voice, trying to restrain himself.

“Perfect,” She replied, “Can you.. Can you move?”

“Uh, yeah, in one second,” he blushed. “I just might… Erm, that is to say-”

She cut him off by pressing kisses to his face and neck, just needing to keep touching him.  Finally, when she grew tired of waiting, she bucked up against him, and he gasped so loudly she thought she might have hurt him.  He kissed her hard and started to move above her, and she smiled, euphoria exploding through her veins. He whispered assurances to her, telling her how beautiful she was, how much he cared about her, and she murmured the same assuring words back.  He blushed a little when she did so, and she wondered what had happened to him to make that so. 

It was over quite quickly, but it was good, Rose would assure him later, but once it was they were both completely sated, tangled in bliss as he laid kiss after kiss to her salty skin.  The gentleness of his touch was refreshing and made Rose want to hold him close for as long as the universe would allow her to have him.

“I’m so lucky,” she said sleepily, her eyes closed.  

He chuckled and collapsed on top of her, tucking his face into the crook of her neck. “I think you’ll find that I’m the lucky one,’ he said, “So lucky.”

She giggled and pressed a kiss to his temple. “We’ll have to do that again some time.”

“Mm, maybe later tonight, after I’ve had a bit of a nap,” he said, rolling off of her to tuck them up into the blankets of his bed.  Rose found herself liking the fact that she was all wrapped up in his scent. 

“Yeah,” She said softly, “i think that’s a… A good idea.” She rolled back to him, cuddling against his side.  

It may have sounded quite simple to her twelve year old self, but Rose had never felt so effortlessly loved before.  He wasn’t a prince, he wasn’t the man that she’d daydreamed about, but he was  _ better.   _ He was so wonderful, and she didn’t think he’d ever know it. 

“Maybe we should… Share this room,” he said softly, as though he was afraid to even ask.  

“Okay,” she said just as softly, peering up into his face and matching the mood.  He grinned like a loon and kissed her again. Rose smiled against his lips, letting him kiss her however he liked.  When he finally pulled away, she found herself staring at him, needing to. “I’m so glad I met you,” she said softly.   “I’m glad we are… What we are.”  
“Me too,” he said, “I’m glad you feel that way too.”  He reached over to stroke her cheek, and she all but fell into his touch, marveling at how easy it was.  

“Kiss me again when the sun comes up,” She murmured as she started to drift off.

He laughed a little and kissed her forehead, coming to snuggle closer to her.  “I would kiss you all night if you wanted me to.”


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW Am I the Worst or what??? I'm so sorry for taking so long on this! i knew I wanted to end this story with this chapter but I wasn't sure how, so I sat on it for awhile. I hope you all enjoyed this!!!
> 
> I want my next story to be Victorian or something but other than that I'm not sure, so if anyone has any suggestions feel free to send them to me on tumblr @doctor-who-hears-a-horton

Waking up the next morning was different than any other morning that Rose had ever woken up.  Her body felt rested and she felt… Happy. It was odd, and a little bit exciting. She rolled into John’s arms and cuddled up against him.  He hummed a little in the back of his throat and wrapped his arms around her. She could feel him waking up and pressed a kiss to his chest, reveling in the fact that she was now allowed to do so.

“Good morning,” he said, his voice rough with sleep.  

“Good morning,” she replied, listening to his heartbeat. 

“How did you sleep?” He asked softly, rubbing a hand up and down the span of her back.  She smiled and nodded against him, trying to get as close to him as possible. 

“Better than I’ve slept in a very long time,” she confided, leaning up to look him in the eyes. “ And how did you sleep?”

“Brilliantly,” he said, grinning down at her. She smiled back and moved up to kiss him. He sank into the kiss and she felt him sigh happily through his nose, one of his arms wrapping all the way around her.  He made her feel safe in a way that she could hardly describe. She pulled back after several long moments and kissed the tip of his nose. He giggled a little and scrunched his nose up, and her heart felt like it was about to burst with joy.  

“I had a thought,” he said finally, running of his hands through her hair, looking up at her fondly.  “I think we should go to dinner tonight when you get off work. I can take you on a proper date.”

She blushed and shrugged. “Oh, I don’t need all that, John, I really don’t.”

He frowned. “I want to,” he said quietly, “I want to take you to a nice place, see you all dressed up,” he held up a hand to stop her words.  “And I want to pay for you,” he said. He cupped her cheek and stroked his thumb over her cheekbone. 

She wanted to say no, to say that she could pay for herself, but the look in his eyes wasn’t demanding.  It was kind and gentle and she leaned forward, pressing her forehead to his. “Okay,” she said softly, “Sure, let’s go to dinner.”

He grinned and kissed her softly, pulling back after just a few moments. He sighed happily.  “I wish we could stay here forever,” he said quietly. 

She giggled and nodded.  “Me too,” she confided, surprised that she meant it.  She wanted to be nearer to him all the time, and as much as it scared her, it excited her just as much.  His touch was gentle and never too much, and she loved so many parts of him that she wondered if she loved  _ him.  _

She wanted to tell him, wanted to say something about it, but instead she stroked his hair back from his face and kissed his cheeks and kissing down his face to his neck.  He hummed a little and rolled her over, reaching down to her hip and tugging them together. 

“We don’t have to be up for a little bit,” he mumbled against her neck as she wrapped her arms around his back. 

“We have enough time,” she replied, closing her eyes and just letting him move over her.  She felt suddenly alive, like no man ever had made her feel before. 

She met the day with a spring in her step, the first spring she’d had in her step in a very long time. All her bruises eventually faded and her leg boot was gone, and all of a sudden anything that tied her to Jimmy was gone.  And several months after Jimmy put her in the hospital… She was free. 

Rose met with the therapist every week, and John started seeing one too, though he didn’t tell her that until he’d been going for a month because he was a little bit embarrassed about the whole thing.

“Why?” She asked him when he finally brought it up, blushing.  

“I just don’t want you to think I’m weak,” he said softly, not looking at her and still chopping up the vegetables for their dinner. 

She sighed, walking up to him and wrapping her arms around him from behind.  She pressed her cheek to his back and closed her eyes. 

“I love you,” she whispered through trembling lips, afraid of his reaction.  “I could never think you weak for finding help. I think… that makes you strong.”

His breath hitched, and he asked slowly, “You don’t think it’s… Stupid? I mean, plenty of men have been manipulated by women, I’m sure, and-”

“She made you doubt your worth,” Rose said fiercely, “And I just… I know things were hard for you then.”

“It’s nothing compared to what you went through,” he said quietly.

“But that doesn’t mean you didn’t go through it,” Rose replied. 

He was quiet for a minute, and she thought that he was thinking about what she had said, but after a silence, she heard him whisper:

“Did you just say you loved me?”

She grinned.  He would fixate on that. Yes, it was the first time she’d said it, but it wasn’t the first time she’d felt it, so it came as no surprise to her.  He’d never heard it though, so she shouldn’t be surprised by his reaction. 

“Yeah,” She whispered. “Is that okay?”

“I-” he turned around in her arms and swept her up, lifting her off the floor with the force of his hug.  She giggled, feeling a little disoriented at first, but squeezed him around the neck, where her arms had somehow ended up.  He was breathing heavily into her neck, and he seemed to be very nervous all of a sudden.

“I love you,” he said with absolute gusto.  “I am so happy with you, I didn’t know it was _possible_ to be so happy.”  
It should’ve been too fast, and Rose should’ve been afraid.  But she wasn’t. SHe trusted John, and she knew that he would never hurt her.  Well, at least not on purpose. But men could be stupid, and forget important things, and John did have the tendency to forget some things, but Rose didn’t mind.

“Thank you,” she said.

“For what?” He asked, pulling back and looking down at her. 

“For… For helping me.  For never treating me like I’m helpless.”  She reached up and cupped his cheeks in her hands.  “I love how you’ve always been so gentle with me, but you never treat me like damaged goods.”

He blushed in the face of her compliments. “Hey, listen, you don’t have to say all that,” he said gently, “you know that I’ve never seen you as damaged.”

She kissed him softly, and he sank into her, his hands clenching into her shirt.  Suddenly he pulled back and sniffed harshly. 

“My veggies!” he cried out, and she burst out laughing, barely knowing what she did to deserve this man.  

***********

Nights were spent wrapped around each other, day in and day out they were together in their free time.  But there was one moment that defined the path of Rose’s life, and it was surprising and she barely knew what to do with the thought presented to her.

“I think you should call your mum,” John said one night as they lay side by side, reading in bed.  “I’d like… I’d like to meet the woman who raised you, and I think she’d like to see you. You’re not with Jimmy anymore, there’s nothing to be afraid of.”

She put her book down and glanced over at him. “You think?”

“Yeah.”

She chewed her bottom lip and nodded a little bit.  “What time is it?”

“Nine.”

“Oh, she’ll… She’ll still be awake, now,” she said, “If she’s the same, you know.”

He set his book down as well and peered down at her.  “So do you think… If you called right now… She’d pick up?” 

She knew she had to be impulsive about it, because if she didn’t do it right away she never would.  She didn’t fear her mother, exactly, but their relationship hadn’t been suspended on a good note. She reached for her nightstand and picked up her phone, staring down at the screen that suddenly seemed threatening.  She dialled her mother’s number, which wasn’t saved, but simply remembered. 

Taking John’s hand, she pressed the phone to her ear and listened to it ring.  After three rings, a harsh voice answered “‘Ello?” 

“Mum?  It’s me.”

“Rose?!” 

Rose sighed, sagging into John’s side.  “I should’ve called ages ago, mum. I was in the hospital, but- okay maybe that’s not important. I don’t want us to be fighting anymore.  I want us to be like we used to be. We’ve missed so much of each other’s lives.”

“Are you still with that Jimmy prat?” Jackie snapped.

“No,” Rose said firmly. “Mum… Mum, he’s in jail. I’m with somebody else, his name is John, and he-”

“I’m coming round tomorrow to meet him. What time do you get off work?”

“Erm… Six.”

“Same place?”

“The- the flat to the left of it.”

“Rose, I love you very much.  I’m very happy you called.”

“I love you too, mum,” Rose said, and felt all the tension flood out of her.  She pressed her nose to John’s shoulder and he kissed the crown of her head, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze.  

Rose made sure Jackie had the right address and time, and rang off, her heart pounding heavily in her chest.  

“Well, I didn’t really mean right now,” John said softly, “But I’m glad you did it.”

When Jackie came over the next day, John thought that he might have made a bad decision by saying he wanted to meet her. The second she laid eyes on him she was sending him daggers, even though he was on his best behavior.  

Once Rose had explained everything that happened with Jimmy, including the parts with John, it was his turn on the chopping block.  

“So you met my daughter outside her flat?” Jackie questioned, crossing her arms.

“Uh, yes ma’am,” John nodded. “I knew something had to be wrong for her to sit outside her flat, so I… Stayed with her, and I definitely liked her, but I couldn’t do anything about it, and I promised I didn’t until she was ready.”

“He waited for me to make the first mood on him,” Rose replied, setting a glass of wine down in front of her mum.  

“Oh, did he?” Jackie narrowed her eyes.  “I think you might be alright, John, but I haven’t quite decided.”

Rose laughed. “You’ll like him, I promise.”

“Me too,” John said, loosening his tie a little bit. “I want to make you daughter happy, Mrs. Tyler, that’s all I’ve wanted since the day I met her.”

Rose smiled, feeling ridiculously happy at his admission.  She ran her hand through his hair on the way to the kitchen to check on dinner.  He grinned up at her, looking every bit the lovesick fool, and Jackie smiled a little at the moment that they shared. 

“You love her,” she whispered once Rose was gone. 

John nodded gravely.  “Yes, I do.”

“What are your intentions with my daughter, then?” Jackie asked, arching an eyebrow.  John thought she might be kidding, but realized she was actually quite serious.

“She’s the one,” John said, “She’s the last woman I ever plan on being with.  I want to… Make us permanent, eventually. And I realize you might think that’s moving too fast! But I just… I  _ know  _ she’s who I want, so why put that off?”  He fidgeted nervously and could barely stand to look at her, but Jackie, surprisingly, grinned. 

“I can see it in your eyes,” she said, “The way you look at her.  Rose said it was you who suggested she called me.”

“I didn’t want her to give me credit,” John protested, “She wanted to call you.”

Jackie smiled, not even trying to fend off his protests. “John, welcome to the family.”

He opened his mouth to protest, but realized, after turning back to look at Rose, that this little family was everything he wanted.  He smiled happily and nodded to Jackie.

“Thank you.”

Rose came back into the room and perched on the arm of the chair that John was sitting on and wrapped her arm around his shoulders.  The three of them talked and Rose looked down at him, grinning from ear to ear.

“What?” John asked, as Jackie looked on, eyes glistening.  

“Nothing.  I’m just happy.”

And she was and remained so.

 


End file.
